On Tuesday night, Verrado High School’s College and Career Center hosted an informative FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) night, offering vital assistance to students and their families in completing the FAFSA Form. 

Verrado’s FAFSA Peer Coaches, along with College and Career Counselor Cynthia Smith, were on hand to help attendees with their portions of the application. FAFSA can be overwhelming and filled with confusing information online, so having the opportunity to work directly with knowledgeable counselors and career coaches made the process much easier for both students and parents.

“We offer FAFSA night to give the families resources – to be an additional resource that’s close – there are other resources but you have to drive, or do Zoom calls, so some things the in-person thing is better,” says Smith.

The event offered free food, including deli sandwiches, snacks, and drinks, and featured opportunities to win gift cards to popular spots like Chick-fil-A, In-N-Out, and Black Rock Café. Families who participated in the raffle were entered for a chance to win, making the evening a fun and interactive experience in addition to its educational value. Trivia games also tested families’ knowledge of the FAFSA process, helping to highlight the areas where students and parents may have the most questions.

Trivia games were also played to test students’ and their families’ knowledge of the Federal Student Aid Application. This highlighted the specific concerns the counselors and peer coaches needed to address, allowing for a much more streamlined and easy process.

Families were given direct instructions on creating a FAFSA I.D., and which one of their parents/legal guardians needed to create one. Oftentimes families and students alike will get confused about who needs to co-sign on their FAFSA, believing that they would not qualify for grants or loans.

Families–especially high-income families–often won’t fill out a FAFSA form because they believe they won’t be eligible for any kind of financial aid, however, this is far from the case. 

Abigail Gayles, A FAFSA peer coach who helped during the event explained “So FAFSA in general, a lot of people have misunderstandings with it and think it’s only for people who are lower income.” She than added “you also need it for work-study which you can qualify for even if you are not lower income and certain scholarships with the colleges–you don’t even need to be lower income for them but the FAFSA does help you get those scholarships.”

The in-person event provided a crucial opportunity for families to work with experts on-site, clearing up confusion and ensuring students don’t miss out on potential financial aid opportunities. High-income families, in particular, often avoid filling out the FAFSA, thinking they won’t qualify for any financial aid, but the event emphasized that filling out the application is important for accessing many financial aid programs.

For future FAFSA events and updates, students and families can follow Verrado’s FAFSA Peer Coaches on Instagram at @vhs_fafsapeercoaches. To schedule an appointment with Mrs. Smith, email her at [email protected].