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Greetings,
This time of year is always an exciting one. The high school students I meet are preparing for graduation, finalizing their college choices, and applying for financial aid. But this last step can be a trying and confusing one for many students and their parents.
Luckily, there's help for those with questions about the financial aid process. For the third year, I'm delighted to be Wisconsin Statewide Coordinator for College Goal Sunday. This nationwide event assists thousands of high school seniors and their families with completing the FAFSA, that essential first step to receiving financial aid to go to college.
College Goal Sunday will be held in multiple locations throughout 40 states. Every location will be staffed with knowledgeable volunteers and financial aid experts ready to help high school seniors and their families fill out and submit the federal form. Best of all, like the FAFSA, College Goal Sunday is free! In Wisconsin, College Goal Sunday will be held on February 10. Be sure to check collegegoalsundayusa.org to find the dates of events near you.
On February 10, I will be working at one of Wisconsin's 20 locations. It's always a pleasure to work one-on-one with students to answer their questions and help them with this important step towards a college education. Many are first-generation or low-income students who may not have other opportunities to receive help with the FAFSA. In previous years, one in four Wisconsin students said they could not have completed the FAFSA without the assistance they received at College Goal Sunday.
The ultimate success of College Goal Sunday can be attributed to the volunteers who come out and provide their time and expertise to families who need them. I encourage you to find out more about College Goal Sunday by visiting collegegoalsundayusa.org, and please consider volunteering at an event near you.
Of course, I am not alone in my support of College Goal Sunday. A number of my colleagues at Great Lakes are actively involved in the planning and hosting of events held in Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota, Michigan, and elsewhere across the country. We always find that these events are a wonderful opportunity to directly help students open doors to higher education.
Until next time,
La Toya Sykes, Director
Outreach and Access Awareness
Click a link below to view past Opening Doors articles.
