Students Plan for College through FAFSA Night

Soon-to-be graduates received a college planning jumpstart through a district-wide BCS financial aid event.

The above presentation was recorded on Feb. 11, 2021, and is also available en español. A presentation in English (PDF) is available for download, and helpful FAFSA and NC Residency Determination Service requirements are available in English and Spanish (PDF).

By: Benjamin Rickert
BCS Communications Dept.

Soon-to-be graduates and their families received a college planning jumpstart through the district-wide ‘FAFSA Night’ financial aid event this February. Through online sessions in both English and Spanish, students learned to apply for higher education funding through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). They also had the opportunity to discuss financial aid questions with representatives of the College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC), A-B Tech, UNC-Asheville, State Employees Credit Union, Western Carolina University's Project Discovery, the BCS Foundation, and school counselors.

“The main value of FAFSA Night was the wealth of financial aid experience in one setting,” said BCS Student Support and Transition Specialist Suzanne Gavenus.

During the free event, students attended presentations from CFNC’s Devon McCarthy-James (English) and Dr. JuanEs Ramírez (Spanish). They also received advice on their two- and four-year college goals through additional chat sessions, assisted by BCS translators. The event helped students consider and plan for the many costs associated with higher education, such as tuition and fees, housing, meals, books, supplies, transportation, personal needs, and more. Students and their families left with FAFSA action steps and access to helpful industry contacts.

“The first line of defense for college and career questions is your school counselor,” Gavenus explained. “Also, the financial aid reps at any two- or four-year college are experts in the field and are happy to speak with you regardless of which college you ultimately choose.”

During the event, students were encouraged get started with the FAFSA form and financial aid process as early as possible — even before finalizing plans for college — to learn about the resources available.

“Some people change their plans in the spring. They are finding out what colleges they got into and what they can afford,” Gavenus added. “Or maybe they ultimately decide that they do want to go to college after being inspired by a particular class or teacher. It never hurts to be prepared.”

WHERE CAN I FIND ADDITIONAL HELP OR INFO?
• Your School Counselor

• Your college or university Financial Aid Office

• BCS Student Services Websites
College and Career Readiness
Financial Aid and Scholarships

• FAFSA Websites
StudentAid.gov/FAFSA
StudentAid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out/help

• College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC)
Devon McCarthy: Devon.McCarthy-James@cfi.org
Dr. JuanEs Ramírez: juanes.ramirez@cfi.org

CFNC Email: programinformation@cfi.org
Call: 866.866.CFNC (2362), Option 2, Mon-Thu 8am-6pm, Fri 8am-5pm

• A-B Tech Financial Aid
Jon Grunder: jonathangrunder@abtech.edu
Ben Colburn: benjaminccolburn@abtech.edu
Megan Triplett:: meganvtriplett@abtech.edu

• UNC-Asheville Financial Aid
FinAid@unca.edu

• NC State Employees’ Credit Union
Carla Icenhour: Carla.Icenhower@ncsecu.org

• Buncombe County Schools Foundation
Christy Cheek: Crystal.Cheek@bcsemail.org

• Project Discovery Outreach Counselor (Western Carolina University):
Jamy Beth Ferraro: jferraro@email.wcu.edu

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