by Diana Pando
Recently, TRP’s La Casa Student Resource Center held a free workshop on completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Students and parents began trickling into the workshop and were greeted by counselors, financial aid experts, students and college representatives who were volunteering their time and FAFSA expertise.
The FAFSA workshop is part of a series called College Talks/Charlas Universitarias, a series of free bilingual workshops for college students / college bound youth.
These types of workshops are crucial for students and parents trying to find ways to pay for tuition. Rising tuition rates at universities and colleges are forcing students to take on even more debt to get an education. According to a Market Watch article published last year, American’s collectively have $1.2 trillion in student loan debt.
Today’s  students and college-bound youth need to be as prepared as possible to understand the procedures of paying for college so they aren’t overwhelmed with debt when they graduate.
For many filling out FAFSA forms is a new experience. It’s the first step in the financial aid process to be able to qualify for financial aid, scholarships, grants, student loans or on-campus job opportunities.
The result of this hands-on FAFSA completion workshop provided individualized assistance to 150 individuals and completed 64 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on the Web.  Families came from all over the state, including: Chicago, Carbondale, Cicero, Crestwood, Berwyn, Brookfield, Momence, LaGrange, Elmwood Park, Lisle, Hanover Park, Romeoville, Posen, and Streamwood.
“The process of filling out the FAFSA form is stressful, so it is great to have such patient and skilled people to help lessen the strain,” said Sarahi Perez, a UIC student living at La Casa. “Thanks to the staff at La Casa the process was quick and easy, and they were able to assist me through all my questions and doubts. “
Timely completion of the FAFSA is critical for families and their ability to gain access to the largest possible amounts in state, federal, and institutional college aid programs.  For example, last year, the state suspended their IL MAP grant (valued at up to $4,720) by mid-February.  Students who applied after mid-February did not get approved for the state grant.
“In some cases the parents of these youth can’t help them figure out the paperwork because they haven’t gone through the process or there are language issues,” says Maria Bucio, Director of La Casa. “It then becomes the responsibility of the student to try to figure out the nuts and bolts of financial aid and that can seem like a daunting task.”
Students are encouraged to take advantage of these free workshops because they’re meant to provide access to information on how to apply for scholarships, FAFSA, and Federal Student Loans.
The College Talks/Charlas Universitarias series is also part of TRP’s Vision 2020 plan to increase workshops and other programming that builds healthy communities. Recently, TRP also launched the Imagine More Campaign that will allow TRP to do more in five years than in the last 25 years.
The next free workshop at La Casa will take place on 2/20. See schedule for details…
About La Casa Student Housing and Resource Center
La Casa Student Housing and Resource Center is an innovative model in student housing that surrounds students with many of the benefits and resources of on-campus living—plus the added advantage of an on-site Resource Center. One of their major benefits is their Resource Center providing students with expert staff, college and career coaching, mentorship, internship opportunities and more.