ENGLISH EPISODE: 

SPANISH EPISODE:

Preparing graduates for their next chapter.

Grand Island Senior High (GISH) has developed a new Senior Launch Program to help support all graduating Seniors be more confident in venturing to their next chapters after high school.

Specifically, how our dedicated staff at GISH and GearUp help Seniors and their families for complete the FAFSA form.

Starting this school year, the state of Nebraska has a new graduation requirement for all public school districts:  Every graduating Senior must complete the FAFSA form in order to graduate.

As you’ll hear in the following discussion, the FAFSA form isn’t new.  But having it as a graduation requirement is.  So, as forward-thinking educators, our team at GISH & GearUp wanted to take a proactive approach to helping Seniors and their Families navigate this requirement — by helping all graduates better understand the exciting opportunities and choices they have in front of them.  And yes, the FAFSA form helps in that regard quite a bit – especially when considering college opportunities.

With this information being so important, we wanted to provide these conversations in both English and Spanish so we may reach as many families as we can in a helpful way.

Because it's all about empowering students to be College, Career, & Community Ready.

ENGLISH EPISODE GUESTS:

• Julie Markvicka, GISH Counselor
• Nuria Lemus, FAFSA Training Manager with EducationQuest 

SPANISH EPISODE GUESTS:

• Stacy Quinteros, GISH Counselor
• Nuria Lemus, FAFSA Training Manager with EducationQuest

#WeAreGIPS 

 

 

 

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SPANISH EPISODE TRANSCRIPT - HERE

ENGLISH EPISODE TRANSCRIPT (below)

Mitchell Roush  00:00

Mitchell, Welcome back to The GIPS Cast! A conversation based podcast exploring the voices of Grand Island Public Schools in Nebraska. I'm your host, Mitchell Roush, Communications Director here at GIPS. And as always, I am excited to bring to you new stories from all corners of our district, because here we're driven by our mission of every student every day a success. We're glad you're listening with us today. We're updating the format a little bit, and we're bringing you two episodes on our podcast feed, one in English and one in Spanish, both of them speak to the same important topic, how Grand Island Senior High has developed a new senior launch program designed to help support all graduating seniors be more confident in venturing to their next chapters after high school, specifically how our dedicated gear up and Gish staff are helping seniors and their families complete the FAFSA form. So starting this school year, actually, the state of Nebraska has a new graduation requirement for all public school districts. The new requirement is every graduating senior must complete the FAFSA form in order to graduate. So as you'll hear in the following discussion, the FAFSA form isn't new, but having it as a graduation requirement is so as forward thinking educators, our gear up team and our Gish team wanted to take a proactive approach to helping seniors and their families navigate this requirement by helping all graduates better understand the exciting opportunities and choices they have in front of them. And yes, the FAFSA form helps in that regard quite a bit, especially when considering college opportunities. So with this information being so important, we wanted to provide these conversations in both English and Spanish so we may reach as many families as we can in a helpful way. So this episode that you're listening to will be in English. We've added a second episode to our feed covering the same conversation completely in Spanish as well. So in this episode speaking English, you will hear from Julie Mark Vic, a counselor at Gish, and Nuria Lemus FAFSA Training Manager with education quest. And what you'll hear are first hand accounts of how Gish continues their meaningful work of equipping all students with what they need to be college, career and community ready after high school. Give a listen.

 

Julie Markvicka  02:47

I'm Julie Markvicka, one of the school counselors for the academies of Grand Island Senior High. I'm currently working with the Academy of Medical Sciences and education, supporting students in their academic college and career readiness.

 

Nuria Lemus  03:01

My name is Nuria lemu and I am a bilingual College Planning Specialist with education quest foundation in the Kearney office. Julie

 

Mitchell Roush  03:10

and Nuria, thank you so much for being here. I really appreciate it, and more importantly, thank you for all you do to support students. So that's what we're here to talk about, specifically the new graduation requirement that Nebraska has regarding the FAFSA, and that's what we're going to unpack today. So Julie, I'm going to start with you as a counselor here at our high school, supporting our students and our seniors. Can you explain to me what is the FAFSA and what does the FAFSA do to help with our students become college and career ready?

 

Julie Markvicka  03:39

The FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. And what it does is it takes the family income, and it helps tell the student what they can expect to pay at the specific institution that they are choosing to go to. So it gives us an added layer when we're meeting with students, and oftentimes they just say, How is how much is it going to cost for me to go to this college? And we can look at that sticker price, but the answer is, it depends, and it depends on variables outside of our control and also just outside of what we need to know about families. We don't need to know anybody's financials, but we need to know how to best support them and make paying and funding college a reality for them. So the first, well, first step, is applying for an institution, and then when they do the FAFSA, it will map with that institution, and they will receive the notification directly back from their institution, and then we can work with those students to compare different offers from different colleges, different financial aid packages that they receive outside of the FAFSA. The FAFSA is not a new tool, but it will now be a universal tool. That we will have more access to helping students plan for their college and careers through this tool.

 

Mitchell Roush  05:07

Yep, absolutely. So thank you for that quick summation, because we have some listeners that may be familiar with the FAFSA and some that aren't, but it's so like you said, it's not a new thing. What's new is that it is now a graduation requirement, which then means we're providing different kinds of support to our seniors as they prep for graduation. So all right, Maria, you for education quest. So talk to me a little bit specifically about what you do with education quest, because you've been coming to senior high here this school year and helping us out through this FAFSA process. So would you be willing to explain that a little bit?

 

Nuria Lemus  05:41

Yeah, definitely. So my role is to be a resource for the students at Gish for their college planning process. I assist them with college applications, fafs the FAFSA application, which is our most popular service. We provide financial aid programs to schools. We work alongside counselors on whatever they need for us to assist them with at their school, whether that's senior day or as it is called here in agronomy, Senior High senior launch, we provide just that extra guidance for them that they may not have with their counselor, because sometimes at a bigger school, it's just overwhelming and sometimes not even possible to meet one on one with students and help them with that college planning process.

 

Mitchell Roush  06:38

Today, for example, the day that we're recording this on October 22 we had a session for senior launch where you came in and you talked to our seniors about aspects of the FAFSA. So what did you talk about today when you presented to our seniors today.

 

Nuria Lemus  06:52

we initiated with creating that FSA ID, the account that students will need to have in order to access the FAFSA application. So we created accounts. We talked about the benefits of the FAFSA, besides being a requirement for graduation, we talked about the benefits that it can provide and the opportunities for what for their college journey after high school. And it doesn't necessarily need to be a two year college, a four year college. We're also talking about certificates and trade schools as well. Wonderful

 

Mitchell Roush  07:32

Julie, I want to come back to you and talking about, you know, how you're supporting your students here at Senior High. Earlier today, I was at the senior launch, and I heard one of the students mention they're potentially a first generation college student in their family. They didn't think college was a thing for them. They applied, got in, and they're really excited about it. But then this FAFSA piece is really key to them understanding, like, where, like, she got accepted to multiple schools, trying to figure out, what can she you know, what scholarship opportunities are available, and things like that. So that really stuck out to me. And so I think about that impact for graduation in the class of 2025, how do you see the FAFSA either helping or impacting the class?

 

Julie Markvicka  08:20

I see the FAFSA impacting the class of 2025, in Grand Island and statewide, with an increase of the number of students exploring college as an opportunity, and maybe not right after high school, because a lot of students may not fill this Fauci the FAFSA out until March or April, when most students have already committed to a college. So what I'm thinking in this year is with the requirement, and as we're catching students later in the spring that didn't think that college was on the table for them initially, once we get the figures in front of them, and I say we, when I say we, it's a combined effort with the counseling team at Grand Island Senior High, the gear up grant that we have and the referrals that we make to education quests. So I just wanted to clarify when I say, when we get this in front of the student, it's the community that's behind the student and all of the resources that they have. There's no single person that's taking lead on getting this done for the class of 2025 I think we will see a lot of students applying to the community colleges later and enrolling, maybe not in the fall, but then in the winter term, because they see that it is affordable to them.

 

Mitchell Roush  09:44

Absolutely, you talked about, you know, it's not just like one person doing this for somebody. There's a lot of resources and a lot of effort going behind this. So at Senior High, you're calling this a senior launch process. Would you be willing to talk about what senior launch is, then, and how that. Contributes to this?

 

Julie Markvicka  10:01

Yes, the senior launch is monthly sessions that are being held for all seniors, and they're held during the English classes. Just to break down how large our senior class is, we have over 600 seniors right now, and I can get you that exact figure. It's a lot, it's a lot, a lot of seniors. So it's not feasible to pack everybody into the auditorium. When these sessions are more active, where they're going to get that Chromebook out, they're going to take action right there in the session with support from the counseling staff, the gear up staff and their English teachers. The calendar revolves around the timeline of tasks that need completed senior year. So it was going to have a piece on the FAFSA, the FSA ID, the financial aid every month until April. April is the time we're just going to one on one target those kids, but it's going over. Here's your timeline for when to apply for colleges, which is right now.

 

Mitchell Roush  11:05

Right now. Do it now.

 

Julie Markvicka  11:07

Do it now. The exploration piece for college occurred earlier, and then it will go into scholarships next month, and it also touches on the career readiness. So for every senior, everyone's gonna achieve a career at some point, whether that's right after high school or after their post secondary education, right? So in conjunction with what's going on in the English classes, as far as writing their personal statements, writing their resume, the tools that they're working on with a teacher are coming to light then in the senior launch meetings as well.

 

Mitchell Roush  11:45

So there's, there's a lot going on there, but it sounds like it's very intentional, right? Like it's taking them through these processes and then also making sure that what they're doing is prepping them for their next chapter after high school. It's not just necessarily college or a college application. It's all of these sorts of things

 

Julie Markvicka  12:04

that would be correct, and we're giving it to students in multiple ways. So everything available in person in the senior launch has gone out in written information to parents and students. It's going out on the news. It's going out through this podcast. So just everything we're doing is bringing awareness to this is the new norm from here on out,

 

Mitchell Roush  12:26

and the new norm is being the system of helping students feel ready for whatever that next chapter is, which is absolutely awesome. So Neria, I'm gonna come back to you and talk to you from your perspective, because obviously you're here today at Gish, helping our students, but you also support other schools and other students across the state, so you're able to get a pulse on you know, how are things going, and what is this experience like for students across Nebraska? So I'd like to ask you for your perspective as well. Again, the FAFSA, it's more than just college prep, right? What? Why is the FAFSA important, and what are you seeing in the schools?

 

Nuria Lemus  13:05

Yes, the FAFSA is important because it allows a student to see that opportunity in higher education. Some students are intimidated by the cost of college, and the FAFSA application can provide that perspective to them, that there is a possibility to go to college. I can get grants. And by filing this FAFSA, I could potentially get financial aid, federal financial aid, and additional aid through the institution. So the FAFSA application, I think, will provide an opportunity, especially to first generation students, low income students, those who do not see college or higher education as a possibility. It will also provide increase the numbers of college going the college going rate, it will increase that. It will also will provide that financial aid literacy. It will allow them to understand a little bit better the process of paying for college and the opportunities that are out there for them financially with the FAFSA.

 

Mitchell Roush  14:23

I'm so grateful that you talked about that understanding, the the understanding piece, right? Because a lot, a lot of the world after high school is complicated. College is complex, and navigating that, and we have a lot of first generation students that would potentially be the first students in their family going and pursuing a degree of some kind after high school, which is huge, but then that's new ground they're breaking, and I know that that's something that's also very near and dear to your heart. You want to talk a little bit, if you're comfortable with it, about just the first generation piece, and how is this new FAFSA requirement going to be helpful for that?

 

Nuria Lemus  14:59

Yeah, definitely. Okay, as a first generation student, I do remember I did not know the process. I didn't even know the FAFSA existed. I didn't even know what the FAFSA was. My parents did not speak the language English, so struggled with under I struggled with understanding the process and the opportunities that were out there for me. So just having education quest as a resource, actually, I utilized education quest when I was going to college, and that really helped me in my process.

 

Mitchell Roush  15:33

I'm assuming we will potentially be seeing more first generation students getting exposed to opportunities than before, because maybe a lot of them had not explored the FAFSA because they didn't know what that was or what it meant, or what opportunities it could unlock.

 

Nuria Lemus  15:50

Yes, so just having being able to learn more about their their opportunities that the FAFSA could offer may or may help the students feel like they're the doors opening for them and they're able to attend college, even if their parents didn't, even if their family doesn't have the financial means to to attend.

 

Mitchell Roush  16:17

Wonderful! Thank you for sharing. Julie, I'm going to come back to you and ask you a question, just thinking big picture, about supporting students and families as students think about life after high school. What's one thing you want you know our Islander students and our Islander families to know about this new experience, because again, the FAFSA is now required for graduation, and so the while the FAFSA isn't new, it is new as a requirement. So what's one thing you want your students and families to know?

 

Julie Markvicka  16:48

Our students and families should know that as an educational team, all of their teachers have been behind them for the last 13 years. The family has been behind them and will continue to be behind them. This is just one extra piece to support your student. And so my call would be that parents step up and do this in a timely manner, because while the federal aid what you get from the FAFSA result is what you get, and that is static, it's gonna be there for you. What you get from your institution specific, those pockets of money will decrease over time. Yep. So just knowing that this new requirement is it's here to help. We are here to support, but we do want families to take action sooner than later. Yes, absolutely.

 

Mitchell Roush  17:41

And when does the application open?

 

Julie Markvicka  17:46

It opens on December, 1, December, and then it will stay open past the May graduation dates. But in order to walk across graduates, have it done? Yes, in order to walk across that stage and get that diploma, this is just an added layer on top of the 240 graduation credits that our graduates will have earned. They're going to earn an extra, I guess, stamp of approval, yes, their Student Aid Report. Awesome.

 

Mitchell Roush  18:13

I love it. Nury, I'll ask you the same question as again, as you, as you work through education quest and support schools across Nebraska, what's one thing that you want students and families to understand about this, this new graduation requirement?

 

Nuria Lemus  18:28

I just want them to understand that it's for their own benefit. They there's nothing negative about filing the FAFSA. It provides opportunity for the student, it's not as easy as or it's not as intimidating as they think it is. I know some families and students hesitate with the word federal, so that sometimes causes some intimidation with in the family, especially if they're mixed status families or undocumented families, parents, specifically as a as a student, if you are undocumented, unfortunately, they will not be able to receive federal aid. However, they can still file the FAFSA. So I just want them to know that the process is not as intimidating as they may feel like it is, and that they are not alone. They're not alone, and the resources are out there. Education quest, we can help file that FAFSA for free. Counselors will help with that as well. But we, we do receive requests from counselors as well if they just don't feel comfortable assisting students filing the FAFSA wonderful.

 

Mitchell Roush  19:43

And the common thread that I'm hearing from both of you, which I'm not the least bit surprised in, is like students are not alone, and we are here to support and we've got resources and educators and counselors like this is a team effort, and we're taking care of the kids. And I'm so grateful to you both for. For everything that you do, and for being willing to share that insight with our families, because that's important for them to remember. So Julie, how are we tracking completion rate for this for our graduates or incoming graduates? This

 

Julie Markvicka  20:11

is exciting for me, because I love data and in synergy. So what we are doing is, after the FAFSA opens up December 1. The Nebraska Department of Education, Coordinating Commission for post secondary education, will send bi weekly reports. And what this portal has it's part of the Department of Education's FAFSA FAFSA completion initiative, and it will actually break it down by student that is enrolled in public school, and it will just give us their status of complete, incomplete. It might tell us missing a signature. That's a lot of them. We got back last year, we could see it was missing a student signature, missing a parent signature. It would say exactly where, and then we could let the family know, hey, this small error needs corrected, and then you're good to go. So all we see is complete or not complete, and that's how we, starting in December, will start whittling away at our graduates to make sure they're all set to walk that stage in May.

Mitchell Roush  21:17

Rock on. There's a plan in place, you know, where you can get the information. Then we'll we'll go from there. Thank you again, both for being here and for sharing. Really appreciate it. Thank you so much for joining us here on the GI PS cast. If you are a Gish parent or a Gish student and you've got questions about the FAFSA or college and career readiness, be sure to visit this web page, www.gips.org/senioryear That's gips.org/senioryear. You will find a number of helpful resources and the links to all of the senior newsletters. Also be sure to reach out to your academy counselor, our counselors at Gish and our gear up team specifically are your go to Resources for support, feeling questions and collaborating on educational plans. And of course, if you enjoyed this episode, or you enjoy the GI PS cast, please give us a rating or review on your favorite podcast platform that will help other folks discover our podcasts along the way. And be sure to check out g ips.org that's www.gips.org that is our district website, and your go to resource for information and news updates and so much more. Thanks again for listening. We'll be coming back at you soon with more great stories from Grand Island Public Schools.