August 2020 - Form Your Future

By Lesli Yogi, Communications and Engagement Specialist, Hawaii P-20 Partnerships for Education

When the COVID pandemic hit, our organization immediately realized that our graduating high school class of 2020 needed immediate intervention to ensure they would succeed in making the transition from high school to college or career. This meant taking action and moving quickly from in-person to virtual support and strategies.

As it is widely known, data show that seniors who complete the FAFSA, especially economically disadvantaged students, are more likely to enroll in postsecondary education. With students not being in schools and having limited or no access to their college counselors for one-on-one support, we needed to develop solutions that could assist our students even while they were at home.

We provided technical expertise and support for students and families through an email hotline, FAFSA@Hawaii.edu, which was supported by local financial aid specialists. We promoted this support through a statewide media campaign to encourage FAFSA completion, including a television PSA, radio, and a digital campaign. We also created a comprehensive list of financial aid online resources that could serve as an information portal for educators and families.

We collaborated with our local chamber of commerce to offer a webinar to families on how to pay for college during COVID-19. This webinar provided valuable guidance and insight on how college can be affordable even during this crisis. By partnering with our community, we were able to help spread the word and reach a much broader audience.

We will continue to offer FAFSA webinars for new and continuing college students throughout the summer to make sure they know it’s not too late to submit their FAFSA.

Finally, Hawaii P-20, in partnership with the University of Hawaii, GEAR UP Hawaii, and several philanthropic partners (Harold K.L. Castle Foundation, Hawai‘i Community Foundation, Strada Education Network, the Stupski Foundation, and the Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation) launched a comprehensive new summer on-ramp initiative called “Next Steps to Your Future,” designed specifically to support Hawaii‘s class of 2020 public high school seniors. The “Next Steps to Your Future” initiative consists of two parts: summer advising and free summer classes at the University of Hawaii Community Colleges.

The summer advising initiative, led by Hawaii P-20, is currently engaging and guiding over 1,700 seniors in transitioning to their post-high school plans for careers and connecting them to postsecondary education, training and/or employment.

Every student is connected with an experienced University of Hawaii adviser who is providing free personalized support and information to guide them in their next steps whether they plan to enroll in college or had to delay their college plans. Support consists of specialized text messages with reminders on completing college applications and the FAFSA and providing access to relevant resources and opportunities to receive one-on-one support from a dedicated adviser over the eight weeks of summer.

Students also had the opportunity to enroll in free online University of Hawaii Community College Summer Exploration classes to explore career options and discover the education and training needed to reach their goals. More than 1,500 recent graduates have enrolled in over 129 classes this summer at one of the University of Hawaii Community Colleges. Participating students are earning between one and six college credits in these classes.

Finally, to help financially support our Next Steps students with their fall college enrollment, they will be eligible to apply for the Stronger Together Hawaii Scholarship, a $2 million dollar scholarship funded by Hawaii Community Foundation and First Hawaiian Bank Foundation.
These combined efforts with our generous partners over the past few months have yielded positive results in Hawaii’s FAFSA completion numbers. According to NCAN’s #FormYourFuture FAFSA Tracker, Hawaii is currently ranked first in having the lowest percent change in FAFSA completions year over year. Our current statewide FAFSA completion rate is 58.5%.

While we still have much work to do, supporting our graduates to take charge of their futures has been at the core of our focus. It’s critical that we continue to support our young people in planning for our shared future and how they will each contribute to taking care of their families, their communities and these islands that are our home.

Hawaii P-20 strengthens the education pipeline from early childhood through postsecondary education and training with data-informed decision making, advocacy, policy coordination, and shared action. Our work is focused on high expectations and equitable access, so all students can thrive in school, career and life.

Twitter: @hawaiip20
Website: www.p20hawaii.org

By Dr. Sujuan Boutté, Executive Director, Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance

The Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) strives to be Louisiana’s first choice for college access. LOSFA’s three-part program allows students to continue their education beyond high school by promoting, preparing for, and providing equity of college access to the students of Louisiana.

We promote college access through college browses, integrated business and industry visits, and postsecondary campus visits, among other initiatives. A browse session is typically held at a college fair or expo. At a browse session, students and/or parents can speak to a LOSFA representative and ask questions related to financial aid, college access information, and Louisiana’s merit-based aid, the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) awards.

We prepare students for college success by providing academic tutoring support services, ACT/SAT standardized test preparation activities, comprehensive mentoring, college/career counseling and advising, and dual enrollment support.

We provide college financial aid and related support services by administering TOPS, Louisiana’s need-based scholarship (GO Grant), LOSFA’s Go Youth ChalleNGe Grant, START Saving Plan, START K12 Saving Plan, and additional financial aid opportunities.

Prior to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, LOSFA staff implemented a holistic approach to student support and connected the importance of academic persistence to college scholarships, initiating conversations to explain the financial aid process and student loan debt. This approach included:

One-On-One Engagement – LOSFA provided line-by-line and face-to-face assistance to students and their families in order to complete their respective portions of the FAFSA application.

Event Registration – High school professionals coordinated with LOSFA to host multiple events at their schools to ensure a full range of opportunities for students and families to understand the financial aid process.

Communication – LOSFA used text messaging, postcard invitations, PSAs, videos, email, phone calls, and social media campaigns to spread the word about the FAFSA, financial aid opportunities, FAFSA completion events and initiatives, and other resources to provide college readiness support.

LOSFA’s FAFSA Lab – LOSFA utilized an on-site FAFSA lab for families who needed additional assistance with completing their FAFSA outside of school or home.

The pandemic presented unforeseen challenges, and the LOSFA team worked quickly and creatively to meet the needs of students and their families. LOSFA launched several initiatives to provide virtual FAFSA completion assistance:

FAFSA Now campaign – When the office transitioned to working remotely, during Phase 1 of Louisiana’s re-entry strategy, LOSFA implemented its FAFSA Now campaign to support students with FAFSA completion. The campaign began April 9,, and ended on July 1, the priority deadline for TOPS, Louisiana’s merit-based scholarship. The campaign targets high school seniors in the class of 2020 to remind and encourage them to complete the FAFSA or address any errors on their FAFSA.

To spread the word to their prospective students, postsecondary partners have recorded video messages on the importance of FAFSA completion. LOSFA has also used videography and graphic designs, shared via social media and Signal Vine text messaging, to remind high school seniors and current college students to renew their FAFSA. Instructions to register for virtual office hours, text messaging assistance, and email support by LOSFA outreach staff have also been promoted across the state, so students and their families know the agency remains committed to meeting the needs of students, even during these difficult times.

Virtual Office Hours – Students, parents, and families may register for Zoom appointments to obtain one-on-one assistance or join group sessions for FAFSA completion support.

Geaux FAFSA Email Support – LOSFA widely publicizes our email address (GeauxFAFSA@la.gov) to families and students who have questions about the FAFSA. We regularly check and respond to all messages.

During the past several months, we have committed additional staff time and capacity to remain available to students. Outreach staff who provide virtual assistance have customer service experience and sufficient knowledge about the FAFSA to deliver exceptional support, while helping students and families complete the FAFSA. We have also invested in internet access, Wi-Fi devices, the Zoom virtual platform, laptops, and web cams. FAFSA verification is conducted by postsecondary institutions while LOSFA generates and monitors FAFSA error reports and subsequently follows up with students to correct errors in processing. And we use NCAN’s #FormYourFuture FAFSA Tracker data to confirm FAFSA completion.

In our increasingly technology-driven society, we have maximized the opportunity to transition to 100% remote service provision. We advise practitioners transitioning from in-person to virtual FAFSA support to leverage technologies to engage through video conferencing sessions, e-mail campaigns, social media, text messaging, and phone. Though we have and will continue to face many challenges, we encourage fellow college attainment professionals to embrace the opportunity, adapting to meet the needs of students and their families.

Month: August 2020

#FAFSABrightSpots: Hawaii P-20 Acted Fast to Support Seniors in FAFSA Completions During COVID-19

#FAFSABrightSpots: LOSFA Embraces the Opportunity to Provide Virtual FAFSA Completion Assistance