Orangeburg-Wilkerson High Hosts FAFSA EVents

The cornerstone to any grant or scholarship search is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). FAFSA is a free application provided by the U.S. Department of Education that can qualify students for government-funded scholarships and grants. The application must be completed and submitted to the federal government in order to be considered for public and university financial aid programs, as well. Putting off or not filing the FAFSA means risking missing the deadline and severing one’s chances of receiving thousands of dollars in free college money. The FAFSA may be completed online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

College Summit urges educators to host FAFSA events at their schools the beginning of each year to encourage more seniors to complete and file their FAFSA form as early as possible. One South Carolina school, Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School (O-W) in Orangeburg, SC, has excelled at hosting such events and, as a result, has experienced tremendous success in getting its seniors to complete the FAFSA form in a timely manner.

After attending a College Summit Peer Leader Academy (November 2010) that focused on the importance of seniors completing the FAFSA, Orangeburg-Wilkinson High teachers Deborah Hailey and Tantanisha Johnson took the initiative to gather together peer leaders and advisors at their school to develop a comprehensive plan that would ensure that more seniors at O-W applied for their PIN and completed the FAFSA. The group established two primary goals and several action steps in order to accomplish the goals. The goals included: all seniors would have their PIN number by December 31st and all seniors would have their FAFSA completed by February 15th. In order to accomplish these goals several action steps were to be used including: selecting a date (December 1) when all seniors were to rotate in and out of the media center during 1st period to sign-up for FAFSA PINs; assigning each peer leader a group of seniors to text reminders to request PINs and complete FAFSA forms; hosting 3-4 FAFSA Nights with parents in attendance and financial aid officers from local colleges; distribution of sample copies of completed FAFSA forms; daily school announcements; and offering incentives to students who provided verification that they’ve completed their FAFSA by the deadline. As a result of the efforts and commitment of Mrs. Hailey, Ms. Johnson and the school’s peer leaders, a record number of O-W seniors have completed their FAFSA forms this spring; months before the deadline of June 30th.