Scott Turner
In Motion Staff Writer
A frequent point of confusion among students going to college for the first time and returning is the process of financial aid. College Goal Sundays, a part of the national CGS project, gives students access to financial aid professionals to help guide them through the process.
Attendees are provided with the opportunity to sit down one-on-one with people trained and knowledgeable about the process of applying for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. After completing the application, attendees are also given information on potential scholarships that may be of interest. The process ends with the completion of a survey, which makes the attendee eligible for a $250 state scholarship.
Kevin McCrary, Dean of Financial Aid Services, has worked on College Goal Events for several years and elaborated on the event.
“College Goal is meant to target students who need help filling out FAFSA, whether it be because they are confused about it, are unsure about giving out personal information, or afraid of filling it out like some people are with tax forms. It’s actually a nationwide event, and usually takes place on Sundays. We’re actually hosting it here on Saturday a week later than usual because of the Daytona 500. Last time we tried hosting it during a race at Stetson, only three people showed up, and we wanted to ensure that as many students as needed it could attend.”
Attendance at the event was high, with 10 people coming in to take advantage of it in the first 30 minutes and a total of 41 coming in throughout the day, 23 at the Daytona Campus, and 18 at the DeLand Campus.
Shanika Lunden, a student applying to Daytona State for the first time, and Natasha Robinson, a returning student, related positive experiences with the event.
“I’ve applied for financial aid at other institutions, and it was much better here than the others,” Lunden said. She went further to add “I would definitely recommend this event to anyone applying for financial aid.”
“This was much better than my first time applying for financial aid,” Robinson said “I hope that when my daughter applies for financial aid it is this pleasant and successful.”
While the focus of College Goal Sundays is to fill out the FAFSA, representatives from many different departments of Daytona State were present to answer any questions attendees might have about other aspects of admissions and provide contact information for further assistance. Those present included but are not limited to: Student Accounts, Veteran’s Affairs, Admissions, Advising, and Financial Aid, and the Judiciary Department. “It’s really a total effort from the enrollment department.” McCrary said.
The event was held March 1 at the Daytona and DeLand campuses, and has been hosted at Daytona State four times in the past ten years, and while it does receive a small budget is primarily volunteer driven.
“The location changes to provide the widest coverage of help to the most students possible. We always want students to have access. What stands out most to me is the opportunity to help with financial aid. It’s a great feeling for me, and helps give a student a post-secondary education.” said McCrary.