FAFSA Season is Here: How to Equip Your Students

Presented by Kristen King, M.Ed., Co-Founder and Director of Coaching, Persist Nashville; Rachel Henry, Implementation Lead, NY/NJ, EVERFI; and Jay Matthews, Ed.S., Specialist, K12 Community Impact, EVERFI
Moderated by Jessie Fox, M.Ed., Sr. Director, K12 Community Engagement, EVERFI

Sponsored by EVERFI

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Research shows that each year, students leave billions of dollars in Federal Aid unclaimed. The FAFSA can feel daunting, complicated, and overwhelming at the best of times. In today’s swirl of uncertainty, the dream of college might seem completely out of reach for many students.

It doesn’t have to be this way—educators already know the importance of empowering students with knowledge, and figuring out how to pay for college is no different. There are free resources and strategies available to demystify the FAFSA and empower students to take their financial aid into their own hands.

Watch Persist Nashville’s Co-founder and Director of Coaching, Kristen King, M.Ed. for a discussion about how to decode the FAFSA for your students and their families. You’ll hear strategies for increasing application completion rates in your school and get access to free digital resources that will help students understand how to responsibly and effectively finance their higher education.

This recorded edWebinar is of interest to high school teachers and school counselors.

About the Presenters

Kristen King is the co-founder of Persist Nashville and has spent her entire career committed to improving K-16 education. Kristen became a teacher through Teach For America, serving students in Waipahu, Hawaii. After teaching for two years and earning her M.Ed., Kristen transitioned into working with college students at InsideTrack. Prior to co-founding Persist Nashville, Kristen worked as the associate director of college access and persistence at RePublic High School. She currently serves on the board of College Ready Now. In her free time, she loves watching Alabama football, Aston Villa Soccer, and spoiling her niece.

Rachel Henry is an implementation lead for EVERFI based in Newark, New Jersey. She grew up outside of Fort Worth, Texas and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to working at EVERFI, Rachel has served as a high school math teacher and most recently, a financial aid counselor at a liberal arts college. Rachel is passionate about critical skills education and supporting schools across the Northeast with EVERFI’s no-cost digital resources. Outside of work, Rachel loves to run, practice yoga, read, and hang out with her partner, Taylor, and adorable pithuahua, Sadie.

Jay Matthews has worked in education for 10+ years. Jay worked as a PreK lead teacher, scholarship advisor/financial aid officer, undergraduate instructor, and 4H county agent. She has a Master of Education in instructional technology and Education Specialist degree in adult education. She’s also a wife, mom, and the ultimate DIY’er/crafter!

About the Moderator

Jessie Fox, M.Ed. has been in education for the past 14 years, as a high school social studies teacher in Hawaii, fifth-grade English teacher in Israel, and college success coach. She now works as EVERFI’s Sr. Director of K12 Community Engagement from her home base in Portland, Oregon, where she connects educator communities with relevant, no-cost resources for their classrooms. Jessie is thrilled to bring educators together around a common goal of gifting students with real-world skills, and provides free access to engaging content around financial literacy, health and wellness, diversity, equity and inclusion, digital wellness, STEM, and social-emotional learning. Jessie also hosts free bi-weekly webinars, along with EVERFI’s free flagship summer educator conference, LearnOn.

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From grade school through retirement, EVERFI’s free digital education curriculums empower learners of all ages to make safe, smart, and informed decisions. We bring together the public and private sectors so K-12 teachers can equip today’s learners with the skills they need to become tomorrow’s leaders.