Summertime does not always mean a break from school. For Champions For Learning students, many utilize this time to get ahead for the next school year. This is why Champions For Learning is already
starting labs on applying for FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) to help rising seniors prepare for what is to come during the school year.
Applying for free student aid can be challenging for many, especially for first generation students whose parents did not attend college. The application is lengthy and requires personal information to be submitted.
“A lot of times, you’re not 100 percent sure what is required and what isn’t, so this took a lot of pressure off of doing it myself,” said Zaden M., a rising senior at Palmetto Ridge High School who attended one of the Champions For Learning FAFSA Labs.
To prepare for applying for the FAFSA in the fall, Champions For Learning is preparing students in the summer. Champions For Learning hosted three labs that went
“A lot of times, in school, you are not going to learn things like this so this is actually a great resource to learn these things,” said Zaden.
Topics such as being aware of non-government websites that impersonate the FAFSA website, preparing an account for the student and their parent, and making sure the right information and paperwork is being gathered for when it does come time to apply were all items covered during these labs.
Preparing Champions For Learning students early on for the FAFSA completion will hopefully lead to students submitting their applications earlier and it being easier to do so. An early submission could mean more money awarded to the student. You are more likely to qualify for federal, state, and college-offered grants if you file the FAFSA early. In fact, some studies show that students who fill out the FAFSA early get twice as many grants, on average, as compared with students who file the FAFSA later. It is because of this that Champions For Learning is preparing students during the summer, and will then will help students complete the FAFSA in the fall.