On January 8th, Verrrado High School held a FAFSA Night. It was an amazing opportunity for students and families who needed assistance with their applications.  Cynthia Smith, our College and Career Counselor, smoothly and successfully ran the night. Also there was senior counselor Veronica Schepker, the FAFSA peer coaches, and representatives from Grand Canyon University and Ottawa University.

The event kicked off at 5:30pm, with multiple families walking through the doors, ready to learn about FAFSA. Not only did these families gain valuable information, but they also completed their applications then and there with the assistance of Smith, Schepker, and the peer coaches. 

In addition to help from FAFSA experts, the families also got free Chick-fil-A wraps, chicken nuggets, and, of course, cookies! And the rewards don’t stop there. The attending families also had the opportunity to participate in a raffle, receiving gift cards from Popeyes, Jimmy John’s, and more!

Smith believed the night to be a major success. “I was happy with the turnout at both events. The first event we had 50-60 in attendance, and this time we had about 10-15, which is what I would expect this late in the application process.”

Thanks to our amazing FAFSA team, we’ve climbed in numbers, and are getting closer and closer to our goal amount of completed applications. “As a school, we are at 36% that have completed the FAFSA through the end of December. This time last year we were only at 14% completion. I work one-on-one with a lot of the students to complete their FAFSA as does Ms. Schepker. We end up usually around 50% completion by April.”

Ava Cassidy, a senior here at Verrado, appreciates the FAFSA events very much. “Not only do we learn so much about the process, but we also get the time to sit down and complete the application. This is extremely helpful, especially for busy students and families who might struggle to find the time.”

Cassidy is grateful to the counselors and peer coaches who help run the event. “The event is really so important for students who plan on post-secondary education, so shout out to the people who make it possible!”

FAFSA night was an amazing experience all around! Families gained valuable knowledge, completed their FAFSA applications, munched on some Chick-fil-A, and won gift cards! It was a very eventful hour, and it was very rewarding to witness.