A sophomore at the International College of the Cayman Islands will form a college investment club after three years of participation in the Saxon student competition.

The International College team won $500 for its third place win in the annual Saxon Investment Club competition last week.

Accepting the cheque on behalf of the International College student team at the Saxon awards ceremony, Ralston Thorpe said that he was going to form a college investment club next year because he will be over the 19-year-age limit and he was not ready to stop competing.

“I feel like I have really achieved something,” says Mr. Thorpe, who is majoring in finance at the International College and works at dms Administration. “I have gotten some really good experience and knowledge in researching and investing in companies and I want to continue it with the ICCI investment club.”

Saxon CEO Brian Williams was very enthusiastic of the new college investment club as a spin off to the Saxon competition.

“A key part of the Saxon Investment Club competition is inspiring students to really think about investing, pursuing a career in finance, or becoming an entrepreneur,” said Mr. Williams. “After three years of competing in this Saxon Investment Club, I take my hat off to Ralston Thorpe in forming a new investment club at the International College to get more students in different ages brackets involved. That is what the entrepreneurial spirit in investing is all about.”

The other two students on the International College team were Valdin Bailey and Michael Ebanks, who together achieved a 46 percent return over the six-month competition. To realise these high returns, their investments focused on media companies and vendors to technology firms. For example, the team invested in companies that supplied core materials such as plastic to produce Apple’s iPad 3.

Attracting over 50 students from Cayman’s high schools and colleges, the Saxon’s annual competition features a simulation of the New York Stock Exchange, enabling students from 14 to 19 years to experience the highs and lows of what its like to trade in the real world using virtual start up capital of $100,000.