April is Financial Aid Awareness Month at GHC; students will be educated on all the options available to pay for school.

FA offices across all campuses have tables set up with information on events and instructional flyers.
Plus, information is readily accessible through student emails, Flush Flash, GHC’s social media pages and signs around campus.

Lisa Garrett, senior counselor of the Financial Aid department and head of the Cartersville activities, hopes that this month will provide a chance for students to see their options and choose which financial aid is best suited to their needs.

The goal is to make students aware of their eligibilities for various types of financial aid and how to acquire what they need.

First Friday FAFSA Day is every month, but the kick-off for this month of events was on the 7th at Cartersville, Floyd and Paulding.

It provided an opportunity for students to finish the first step of receiving financial aid, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

This is a document advisers can help students to complete, and it must be submitted to the state each year aid is requested.

Students who electronically filed their FAFSAs or summer aid requests on that day were awarded a prize, and those who referred friends received an additional prize.

Spring Fling was another chance for students to receive help filing the FAFSA or to meet with advisers for questions.

Students who beat trivia and registered for other financial aid events won prizes. It was held on the 10th at Marietta, 11th at Douglasville, 12th at Floyd, 13th at Paulding and 17th at Cartersville.

Pizzas and prizes were served at lunch-time on the 13th at Floyd and will also be available the 18th at Cartersville, the 19th at Paulding, the 25th at Marietta and the 27th Douglasville.

Additional FAFSA Day events are scheduled for the remainder of April, providing entertainment and food, along with the benefit of learning how the most effective way to pay for college.

Ana Clayton, financial aid counselor, hopes that many students will see the presence of the FA staff.
She says that those who attend the events have the chance to interact with a department that normally stays behind office doors. She said, “We care about students and their success.”

Clayton also said that the professional help offered to participating students is helpful for the short-term and also lets them know how their aid choices will impact them later in life.