MCCC’s West Tech building was busting at the seams on College Goal Day Sunday, Feb. 10.
Members of Student Government and the Financial Aid office were on hand to help the 79 families who attended the event fill out their financial aid forms for the upcoming semesters.
Renee Drouillard, who works in the Financial Aid office at the college, said this was her eighth time helping at the event.
“If they have any questions, we are here to help,” Drouillard said.
Much of the financial aid comes from the federal government, specifically the U.S. Department of Education.
The money helps students pay for higher education expenses such as tuition, fees, room and board (if necessary), books, and supplies.
The three main types of financial aid are; work-study, loans, and grants.
Loans are to be paid back by the student upon graduation, whereas grant money does not have to be paid back.
Financial aid provides people with the chance to further their education and become competitive in the professional world.
A lot of people want to attend college but can’t due to financial issues. The cost of textbooks and tuition can be very taxing on families who are struggling to make ends meet.
One father whose son is attending Bedford High School heard about the event through the local newspaper.
He said he was looking for any help that he could get with the financial aid forms.
Current and potential students registered for the event in the lobby outside of the computer lab, found an open computer and began filling out their financial aid information.
Randy Daniels, Vice President of Student and Information Services, was on hand to help as well. He said he was pleased with how the event turned out.
FAFSA added a new tool to the financial aid process.
The new addition to the financial aid form is online instant tax retrieval.
The IRS data retrieval tool allows students to retrieve their tax information directly from the IRS and have it automatically transferred to their financial aid form.
Samantha Smith, a dual enrolled student, was really happy with the event.
“As you are doing it you are able to ask questions, Samantha said. “I prefer this instead of a lecture, then going home and needing help.”
With events like college goal day, and government programs such as financial aid, college is more of a possibility, rather than just a hope or dream.
