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Greetings,
This month I'd like to share with you an exciting and rewarding experience in which I recently took part. In January, I had the pleasure to host some financial aid training sessions in Puerto Rico.
Great Lakes serves as the designated guarantor for Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In each of these states, we are always working to changes lives for the better by providing resources, support, and training. During this particular training, we partnered with ED to provide the National Training for Counselors and Mentors curriculum.
From January 29-31, our time was divided between Ponce and San Juan. We concentrated on the information that the TRIO and Gear Up counselors and mentors in attendance needed most. The President of PRASFAA joined the training to discuss financial aid in Puerto Rico. Brisy Rios-Dube, Great Lakes Senior Marketing Associate for South Florida and Puerto Rico, and I made sure to select appropriate venues and develop a format that would be most beneficial for the attendees. For example, we realized counselors typically communicate in Spanish to students and families, and so we conducted the training in the language that would help them the most.
I often assist at trainings, but I must say that these particular sessions were very compelling and meaningful. Many of the participants indicated that they had little to no access to similar trainings. Throughout both sessions, attendees were highly interactive, asking tons of questions and being very candid. In focus groups that were held, we learned of materials and resources needed most by counselors and mentors in this area.
Because of the outstanding success of this training, another session is already in the works. Brisy and I are arranging a visit to Puerto Rico March 24-25 to provide high school counselors with the financial aid information they need. We expect approximately 200 counselors to attend.
I'm so excited to reach out to the financial aid community in and near Puerto Rico! It's a wonderful feeling to know that we continue to open doors to higher education for more and more students.
Until next time,
La Toya Sykes, Director
Outreach and Access Awareness
Click a link below to view past Opening Doors articles.
