Each spring, Charlotte Valley Schools hosts a postsecondary planning night where they discuss the FAFSA and steps to complete it with juniors and their parents.
They host a similar event in September of students’ senior year, and then in October host a FAFSA Night, where students and parents have the opportunity to complete the FAFSA online, something that is especially helpful for families who do not have Internet access. A financial aid counselor from a nearby university also attends to assist parents.
Savannah, who will receive the FAFSA Challenge scholarship, remembers all of the hard work and dedication her parents put into making sure their children always had what they needed as they were growing up. This instilled in Savannah the drive to be a hard worker herself.
Savannah recognizes that she wouldn’t be the person she is today without her parents, and hopes to one day be able to support and help them.
Savannah will be attending SUNY Morrisville where she plans to study agricultural mechanics.
The school won the Challenge for having the greatest improvement among high schools with less than 100 seniors in districts outside of the Big 5.
The Challenge was part of The New York FAFSA Completion Project, a statewide campaign launched by Ed Trust–NY to encourage public high schools to increase the proportion of eligible low-income students who complete the FAFSA.
Explore data for each high school in the state, read more about FAFSA completion strategies being used at New York schools, and find additional resources at NYFAFSAChallenge.org.