Maintain FinAid Project

Yenko was born out of Margo Wright's frustration that while college enrollment rates have increased, college completion for all remains a challenging problem. Only 41% of U.S. adults over the age of 25 have a post-secondary credential (have earned an associate's or bachelor's degree).

Today's college students are typically juggling school, work and family while commuting to college and depend on financial aid to afford college. Their most scarce resources are time and money and yet, in trying to balance school and work, financial aid eligibility can be put at risk.

Yenko supports students' persistence by helping them keep their fingers on the pulse of what's important and as a result, achieve academic success that leads to graduation.  

In collaboration with Contigo Ed, this project, including it’s content and the corresponding resources, are our proactive response to raising student awareness about the requirements associated with maintaining financial aid and to arm them with strategies on how to do it.  While we acknowledge institutional, structural, and policy changes are essential to uproot the causes of this issue; they take time.  We hope this intervention will equip you with the necessary information and resources to educate and arm students with information and resources to proactively and reactively address the challenge.

Project Outcomes & Objectives

Our aim is to equip you as you equip your students. And we want to be with you every step of the way.  Each course, and it’s corresponding resources, are designed to build or refresh your awareness of each topic before presenting it to students.

By the end of the first course/session, you and your students will be able to:  

  • Define Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

  • List the requirements to keep financial aid once securing it. 

  • Explain the connection between academic achievement and keeping financial aid when enrolled in college. 

  • Determine reasons why students might be in danger of losing their financial aid.  

By the end of the second course/session, you and your students will be able to:  

  • List proactive strategies to maintain financial aid eligibility. 

  • Identify reactive strategies to maintain aid once SAP or other financial aid policies have been violated.  

I’m Ready! What’s next?

To get started, provide complete the following steps:  

  1. Complete our Participant Info Form OR schedule a 15-minute launch check-in with Tenesha.  

  2. Use this form to register to receive access to the Aspiration to Action microcourses from Contigo Ed.  In addition to accessing the two microcourses used in this project, you will also have access to other microcourses covering postsecondary pathway topics to support your students.  

  3. Look out for an email from your Maintain FinAid Coach, Tenesha.  She will provide you with next steps!  

Questions?  Please reach out to Tenesha Villanueva at tenesha@villanuevaconsulting.org. 

 FAQs

  • We provide all the resources necessary to help you seamlessly educate your students. You will receive:

    ✔️ Project Welcome video & Implementation Resource Guide: designed to help you quickly get familiar with the project and guide your implementation strategy.

    ✔️ On-demand microcourses: brief interactive content to help you get familiar with the topics you will present to your students.

    ✔️ Lesson plans and presentations: turn-key resources to support you with facilitating sessions with your students.

    ✔️ Virtual support: up to 3 (15-minute) touchpoints with a Maintain FinAid coach to support you. Available via Zoom or email.

    ✔️ Pre/post surveys: an opportunity to check learning for facilitators and students.

  • To maximize and measure the impact of this project, all participants will:

    ✔️ Implement with graduating seniors or existing college students

    ✔️ Engage in orientation, micro-courses, and implementation resources to fully prepare to implement the curriculum with students.

    ✔️ Host at least 2 sessions with students in a small group or classroom setting.

    ✔️ Administer a pre/post survey with all student participants.

    ✔️ Complete a survey at the launch and completion of the intervention.

  • ~5.5 hours total time

    We hope you see this as a minimal commitment for maximum impact. Below is a breakdown of the time we estimate you will need to invest in this project.

    ⏳ 30 min: Welcome video + supporting resource review

    ⏳ 1 hr: Review 2 micro-courses

    ⏳ 1 hr: Lesson Preparation time

    ⏳ 2 hr: Deliver content to students

    ⏳ 30 min: Complete facilitator pre/post surveys

    ⏳ 30 min: Administer student pre/post surveys to students