The staff knew transportation was a major barrier, so it was important to host the event in a central and accessible location. Determining the location was easy Walker had a pre-established relationship with the piloting high school. When the idea for the drive-in workshop was shared and discussed, TJ Walker, director of the North MS Get2College Center, volunteered to pilot the drive-in at one of his area schools. They need this or they wouldn’t go to college,” says Thompson. “We know how important it is to these students. This idea was born out of Get2College’s awareness of high student need and much of what they already knew about Mississippi students in rural areas and beyond, i.e., lack of access to stable internet and/or caring adults with financial aid application knowledge. Here’s what else you need to know about planning and hosting a drive-in FAFSA event: Families and students will leave the appointment with newly created FSA IDs, (if not already pre-created) and a completed Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and Mississippi Aid Application (MAAPP).Families will either be provided a tablet or laptop for screen-sharing to complete the FAFSA, which will be projected on a screen so that Get2College staff can monitor the responses. Staff will conduct a FAFSA appointment similar to how they would in a normal (pre-pandemic) setting.Families will drive up (stay in their cars) to a tent and be greeted by a staff member, who will be socially distant.The FAFSA drive-in will happen in an outdoor school space with strict COVID-19 guidelines.So what exactly is a FAFSA drive-in? In four short bullet points, here’s the best way to explain it: Get2College is a program of the Woodward Hines Education Foundation in Mississippi and an NCAN member. To learn all about this type of event, we sat down with Get2College staff members Shannon Grimsley, outreach program director, and Danny Thompson, assistant director of GEAR UP outreach. And because of all the excitement around this type of event, we wanted to share with the larger network the inspiration and planning it will take to develop a drive-in event within your community. Takeaway: Get2College in Mississippi hosted a drive-in FAFSA completion event as a way to offer socially distanced, in-person assistance to students and families.īy Jamese Carrell, Member Services AssociateĪ FAFSA drive-in was the talk of the virtual town at this year’s NCAN 2020 conference.
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