cash for collegeOn Saturday, October 20, 2018, the San Mateo County Community College District’s financial aid offices hosted a district wide Cash for College event at College of San Mateo. The event welcomed over 200 students and parents from each colleges’ feeder high schools and members of the community who were eager to learn more about applying for financial aid. Guests were treated to breakfast and had the option to attend a morning or afternoon workshop offered to both English and Spanish speaking families. Patricia Mendoza, Skyline College Financial Aid Technician, conducted one of the Spanish presentations. The presentations highlighted key components of the new 2019-2020 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and California Dream Act that opened up for students to start applying on October 1, 2018. Throughout the day, computer labs were open to students and parents to sit down with the support of a financial aid staff member or student ambassador to start and submit their financial application.

A resource fair was also available during lunch for guests to visit for additional information that included a booth for the San Mateo Credit Union and representatives from our campus support programs and services: the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS), SparkPoint, the Dream Center and our Outreach office. A huge thank you to the programs that came to support the students and their families!

Colleges across the state host various iterations of Cash for College workshops and events to promote and increase awareness of financial aid to eligible students. The SMCCCD Cash for College event occurs every year during the fall to promote financial aid for the upcoming academic year. The event was a success in part due to the directors, staff, and student ambassadors of Skyline College, College of San Mateo, and Cañada College’s financial aid office.

For more information regarding the upcoming Cash for College event or financial aid, please contact the financial aid office at skyfaoffice@smccd.edu.

Article and Photo by Jeremy Evangelista-Ramos

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