2022 New York FAFSA Challenge Winner: Leonardo Da Vinci High School

Aug 1, 2022 | Blog

In a weekly series, Ed Trust–NY will highlight New York FAFSA Challenge Winners for the 2021-2022 school year and the promising strategies they used to support more students to complete the FAFSA.

At Leonardo Da Vinci High School, the guidance department utilized every form of help available to complete as many applications as possible. The school worked closely with Say Yes Buffalo, which sent weekly completion reports. The school also had workers from the FAFSA Completion Project available weekly in person and virtually to assist students. The school staff sent consistent reminders, made announcements on the school loudspeaker, posted sign up links on school pages, and even spent time outside of school making trips to City Hall to track down necessary documentation and ensure students’ FAFSA and TAP information was correct and up to date.

Nyumi, who will receive the FAFSA Challenge scholarship will be starting at Buffalo State College in the fall and plans to study business. After the tragedy of losing both her mother and older sister, who had assumed legal guardianship, she had to go above and beyond to submit supplemental documentation proving her financial need. Despite these unthinkable hardships, Nyumi has remained a wonderful student, optimistic about her future. She is deserving of this scholarship and so much more.