Financing a college education can be a burden many families struggle to afford.
Jakari Johnson, a student at Elida High School is planning to go to OSU Lima in the fall, and she wants to make sure she is eligible for all of the financial aid for college that’s possible.
She was among a few dozen area students taking advantage of College Goal Sunday at Lima Senior High School.
“This whole program has been very helpful for me to fill it out and do things I didn’t know how to do on my own, my mom “ said Johnson.
“I know I’m going to have to put some money in and so the thousands that they are going to save me is going to help a lot.“ said Johnson’s mother, Karlinda Cunningham.
Jed Metzger, who oversees the College Access Program, even had to fill out the FAFSA Application for his son who already attends Ohio State in Columbus.
“To go to college you have to, whether it’s your first year or whether it’s your senior year you have to fill out a FAFSA, your parents as well as the child, and so this process we work with both parent and child if appropriate, sometimes they can do it on their own too as a student but we’re here to help them go through the process. It gets complicated every year because of different securities that the federal government has placed on it, but you have to do the FAFSA if you’re going to higher education.“ said Metzger.
College Goal Sunday is held annually the Sunday after the Super Bowl.
It’s a chance to find out what kind of help might be available in getting the cost of college down to a more manageable level.
“It helps bring down the cost plus it allows you the opportunity to apply for scholarships and loans and those kind of things to allow you to afford going to college.“ added Metzger.
