by Shawn Nowlin
As the saying goes, “The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.”
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a form completed by students that determines their financial aid eligibility. Chances are if you ask ten people how their FAFSA process went, the responses will vary.
“To be honest, when I graduated from high school, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. Without FAFSA, I would not have been able to attend college,” Brittany Jackson said. “It was rather complicated, but I was able to navigate through everything with help from guidance counselors and family members.”
Across the Commonwealth are 86 colleges and universities. Given the complexities of FAFSA, it is highly recommended that high school students complete their form no later than June 30.
An estimated 18 million students are expected to use FAFSA this year, including thousands throughout the Roanoke Valley.
Every year, students and parents alike have the same questions: How is the entered data used and protected? Where can I view the status of the form? Are contributors on the form still required to go through the identity match process?
On Aug. 24 at the Goodwill Youth Headquarters on Melrose Avenue from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Total Action for Progress (TAP) hosted a clinic to give local and area students a jump-start on their FAFSA applications. Project Discovery and United Way of Roanoke Valley partnered with Goodwill to make the event possible.
Registration was not required for the free opportunity. Food boxes, courtesy of Chick-fil-A, and book bags were given out, among other things.
Lateefah Trent, the Youth Services and Education Manager for TAP, said, “I don’t think people understand how much FASFA helps in getting people money they’ll need for school. Events like this not only break barriers and fears, but also instills faith into those who may need it.”
She added, “It’s important for people to know that we can’t create a miracle. Any one child that we can get through the process is one less person that the educational institutions have to actually assist in that process.”
If Rodney Campbell had today’s understanding of FAFSA when he was a teenager, he says different decisions would have been made.
“Regardless of the college one attends, there are multiple factors to consider before making a final decision,” he said. “I remember waiting until the last minute, which was a very dumb decision on my end. It is so important that people pay attention to the deadlines.”
The FAFSA process can be intimidating for students and their families, something that Trent fully understands. “We don’t want to discourage people from seeking their dreams or envisioning a different reality for their future. Having a positive support system makes all the difference in the world,” she said.
Since its formation out of the 1965 Higher Education Act by President Lyndon Johnson, FAFSA has helped over a billion students.
For the more information, including additional scholarship opportunities, visit studentaid.gov.
