Ashley Cooper had $5,000 deposited into her SMART529 college savings account when her name was drawn as the grand prize winner of “When I Grow Up . . ,” a contest sponsored by State Treasurer John Perdue and The Hartford Financial Co.

Ashley, an 11-year-old fifth grader, wrote that she wanted to be an astronaut because she wanted to see the “stars and the planets and the Milky Way.” She also expressed an affinity for the planet Neptune.

Cooper was one of 15 age group winners, three in each of five regions. She won $500 to begin a SMART529 savings account, then another $4,500 when Treasurer Perdue pulled her name out of a jar.

“I’m really surprised,” said Ashley, who intends to go to West Virginia University.

Ashley’s mother Bobbie welcomed the seed money to start her daughter’s education. “Today you need a college education to do anything with your life,” she said.

Her mother said she heard about the contest when her daughter brought an application off an application at her daughter’s school.

“I think she can do anything she puts her mind to,” Bobbie Cooper said. “I want her to do everything she wants to in her life and have fun doing it.”

Treasurer Perdue noted that entries in this year’s contest swelled from 1,100 to 1,800.

“Each person we touch in the state of West Virginia, and the way we get them investing in college education, it’s going to make a difference in that child’s life,” the treasurer said.

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