Month: October 2018

“I’m on the school’s tennis team,” says Farhat. “My older sister baited me into it. She wanted me to join a sport. I went to tryouts and ended up joining the team.”

“Besides tennis, I participate in a lot of extracurricular activities. Last summer, I participated in an engineering research project with my school. I’m also part of Heart of Los Angeles, where I took enrichment classes in computer science and art photography. I also did test prep tutoring.”

The engineering research project helped inspire her interest in engineering. “I think it is really interesting. My family members never pushed me to do it, but my older sister is also studying it in college.”

“I feel like my parents have always wanted me to go to college, even though they never explicitly stated it,” she says. “My mom is a high school graduate, but my dad attended some college. They both went to school in their homeland, Bangladesh.”

“In high school, I decided there was no point in stopping here and decided I wanted to go to college.”

Learning from her older sister’s experience

“I’m part of a low-income community, so we knew I’d be eligible for some kind of financial aid. But I didn’t know how much. I learned about the FAFSA to pay for college when my sister was applying for college,” says Farhat.

“In my senior year, the college counselor came to all our classes to talk to the seniors about it. My first impression was that it would be confusing. I was told I would need one of my parents and their tax forms, and that it might be more confusing or easier for different people.”

Farhat brought her dad to Heart of Los Angeles to fill out the FAFSA. “It was a workshop with different time slots so there wouldn’t be too many students and parents in the room. There were three or four people available to look over something if we needed help.”

“It was easier for me than others. My sister had already filled it out, so my parents already had their own login — the FSA ID — and a lot of their information transferred over.”

“For the most part we were completing it on our own, but there were some difficult parts.”

Figuring out tricky questions on the FAFSA

“There was an area in the FAFSA about businesses and assets and there was also a section about checking and savings accounts. It was difficult filling out that part,” recalls Farhat.

“Keep an open mind on what you might expect with the FAFSA. I thought it was going to be a difficult process, but it wasn’t.”

“My dad recently invested in a business, but it didn’t clarify what year they wanted that information from. We weren’t sure whether to include it. The second part that was confusing was checking and savings. My parents had been saving up money, but not inside a bank. So my dad wasn’t sure what to put.”

The counselors at the workshop were able to help Farhat’s dad figure out how to answer the questions. “I think if it hadn’t been for the workshop, we wouldn’t have taken the time to make sure we had everything right,” she says.

“After we finished and submitted the FAFSA, we got a confirmation where it told us our Estimated Family Contribution. We showed that to the counselors so they could explain what we were looking at.” It was a low number, she recalls, which meant she’d be eligible for more financial aid.

Later, Farhat was offered financial aid packages by the colleges she’d applied to. “My parents expected I would get financial aid, but they were still excited when they found out how much aid and work/study I was given from each school,” she remembers.

Farhat’s advice: Have your documents ready

“Have a parent nearby when you are filling it out, if you can. Have your taxes ready and any information you think might be necessary,” says Farhat. “It’s really important to have when you are starting because, if not, it is going to look really confusing.”

She adds, “Keep an open mind on what you might expect with the FAFSA. Filling it out is different from person to person. I thought it was going to be a difficult process, but it wasn’t all that difficult.”

“I know college will be difficult, but I know I have to make it through it to see the future that’s ahead. My parents are excited for me.”

Farhat will be attending the University of California, Berkeley and plans to study engineering. She says she’ll keep playing tennis, but just for fun.

“My grandma has been to college — she didn’t complete it. My mom has been to college — she didn’t complete it,” says Brooklyann. “It’s not so much about them going, as them going and actually completing it.”

Even though Brooklyann always knew she wanted to be a pediatrician, she was worried about her own college dreams.

“My relationship with my mom started to turn and I got put in foster care when I was 16. I was in four different homes before I got placed with my cousin at 17. I was more focused on just graduating. I didn’t have anybody I could go to for help with college. I don’t speak to my mom.”

“When an alumni from my high school came to talk to us about college and financial aid, I was like, I am never going to be able to get that. I really didn’t think I’d be able to get any assistance because I thought your parents were the ones who helped you into college; they help you pay for things.”

She was nervous about asking for help. “I am a closed off person. I don’t wear my feelings on my sleeve.”

Getting the courage to try

But the more Brooklyann thought about the prospect of being in Columbus her whole life, the more she knew she had to try.

“I was like, I need to get the ball rolling on what’s next for me. It is nobody’s choice but my own to decide what I’m going to do with my life after high school.”

She looked at the FAFSA online to see if she could apply for financial aid, but she didn’t know how to answer the questions about her parents since she’s in foster care.

The next day, during study hall, she grabbed two friends and went to talk to Mrs. Rolle, her school’s college advisor from I Know I Can.

What she learned about the FAFSA

Mrs. Rolle helped break down how financial aid works for Brooklyann and showed her the requirements for different colleges.

The biggest thing Mrs. Rolle helped with? “I didn’t know, but there was a box to check if you’re in foster care,” Brooklyann said. She didn’t have to enter any of her parents’ personal or income information to complete the FAFSA. She and Mrs. Rolle filled it out together.

She found out she was eligible for nearly $25,000. Some of that came from the Pell Grant — money she wouldn’t have to pay back — and work-study programs, loans and other financial aid.

“I was happy. I really wanted to cry,” she remembers. “Even though I’ve been through some crazy situations, in the end it has all worked out. A year ago, you couldn’t have told me I’d be going off to college. You never know until you try.”

Brooklyann’s advice: Be heard

Brooklyann has advice for other foster youth who dream of going to college, too. “The best thing I did was come and talk to Mrs. Rolle and tell her about my situation.”

“Be heard. Speak out. Don’t be afraid to tell somebody your business or your story. I know how it feels when you just want to keep information to yourself because you have a lot going on at home.” Opening up was what allowed Mrs. Rolle to know exactly how to help.

“I’ve been through some crazy situations. A year ago, you couldn’t have told me I’d be going off to college.”

“I was prejudging and thinking that she couldn’t help. I was really scared of the process, and I think a lot of times we run away from things because we’re scared. But in the end it wasn’t bad at all. Mrs. Rolle has been there for me, helping me keep track of everything.”

“One day, I hope I can come back and talk to my whole school about how financial aid and college have helped me.”

Brooklyann will be studying nursing at Ohio State University. She hopes to one day go to medical school.

“I’ve always been curious about the way things work,” says Paul. “When I was a kid, I had Erector sets, K’NEX and all kinds of toys like that. I liked building things and taking them apart.”

“I’m heavily involved with my high school’s robotics team. I’m the lead build captain, so I handle a lot of the building of the robot. We compete around the United States. Through robotics — and Boy Scouts, which I’m also involved in — I learned what I’d call gracious professionalism. Even in competition, you don’t step on your opponent. You try to help them,” Paul explains.

“Robotics really gave me the chance to be exposed to the actual engineering side of things. It has helped point me in a direction of a career path. I’m really interested in space and rockets.”

“I’m a really academic guy. A pretty big nerd,” he laughs.

Exploring ways to pay for college

Paul spent lots of time researching the best college for his career goals, but needed help paying for it.

“Money has always been tight in our family. I’ve gone to a public school and qualified for free or reduced lunch all my life,” he says.

Fortunately, he was selected to receive a scholarship through a program for Kansas City students from low-income families.

“I’m very, very thankful,” says Paul. “But they are what’s called a ‘last dollar’ scholarship. They expect me to get other financial aid and scholarships, and then they will fill in what I can’t get.”

“At the beginning of my senior year, my school hosted workshops with counselors to fill out the FAFSA. I knew that I’d fill in some information, put in how much money my parents made, and I might be eligible for money,” Paul recalls. “I thought it was going to be straightforward.”

“Of course, I should have known that, since it’s the government’s money, I can’t put in random or lower incomes to try to get more money for myself. So the process was a little more complicated than I thought.”

Getting the right information to complete the FAFSA

Paul initially started the FAFSA by himself at one of the workshops at school. “I made an account and filled in everything I could about myself and my parents. I didn’t know how much money my parents make off the top of my head though. I had to take information back home to them, and they struggled quite a bit trying to figure it out.”

“All my friends got money and our parents have different incomes. It is not as daunting or scary as it might seem.”

Paul decided to bring his mom to one of the workshops at school. “She brought all her tax documents. The counselors walked us through what information on her tax forms needed to go into the FAFSA and where to find it.”

“Finding somebody like a friend or counselor who understands these documents was helpful. Someone who can say, ‘Oh, you need this form. It looks like this and has this information on it.’”

Paul and his mom were able to complete his FAFSA, and then he waited to hear back. “It wasn’t as instantaneous as I thought it would be. It took a few weeks,” he says.

Even though he knew his scholarship would help cover whatever he didn’t receive from the FAFSA, he was thankful when he found out he got financial aid.

“The least I can do is try to lighten the load by getting financial aid myself,” he says. “Now my mom doesn’t have to worry so much about trying to pay for college for my younger sister when she graduates in a couple years.”

The experience also inspired Paul’s mom to fill out the FAFSA and go back to school, with the help of GradForce KC. “She’s a massage therapist and runs her own business. She’s going back to school to learn nutrition so she can improve her business as a whole,” he says.

Paul’s advice: People from all walks of life can benefit

“Fill out the FAFSA no matter who you are or how much money you think you have,” Paul says.

“All my friends got money and our parents have different incomes. It is not as daunting or scary as it might seem. If you are worried, find experienced people who have done it before. They will ease you into the process, and it will be like nothing.”

Paul will be attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and studying aerospace engineering. Because he’s an Eagle Scout, he says, he’s no stranger to the bugs he’ll encounter in Florida.