Michaela Hall holds her flowers and award presented to her by Ashley Delatour
As the 2023-2024 school year comes to a close, the FuturesNW team reflects on the powerful accomplishments of our incredible partners. This year has been particularly noteworthy for FAFSA and WASFA completions, and we owe a big thank you to Michaela Hall for her incredible contributions.
Michaela's dedication and hard work have left a significant impact at Ferndale High School, one of only two high schools in Whatcom County to increase their year-over-year FAFSA completion rates.
Michaela has carried out the following work in partnership with FuturesNW this past year:
Hosting our regional Train the Trainer Financial Aid event with the Washington Student Achievement Council.
Organizing a FSA ID/WASFA account creation event for seniors during an advisory period.
Coordinating an evening account creation presentation and workshop for families at Ferndale High School.
Bringing students to three Learning with Leaders events.
Hosting an evening FAFSA/WASFA completion event at Ferndale High School.
Conducting a two-day lunchtime FAFSA/WASFA completion event in collaboration with CSF and FNW.
Resolving numerous student issues by connecting them with our experts.
Promoting early release Pathways Support and From One to Many events for tribal students at the Ferndale Library.
Actively sharing information about local, institutional, and statewide scholarships and reminding students of deadlines.
Distributing our resources platform to help students connect with local supports in and beyond high school.
Securing dates for the 2024/2025 Financial Aid events.
Promoting our QuickStart to College summer program for the class of 2025.
Michaela's tireless efforts have not gone unnoticed. Her commitment to breaking down barriers for students, especially those who are first-generation and underrepresented in higher education, has made an enormous impact! Her efforts in navigating the complexities of this year's "Better FAFSA" have been truly inspiring.
While there is still work to be done to achieve our statewide goal of 70% FAFSA/WASFA completions, Michaela's dedication gives us confidence that we will reach this milestone sooner rather than later.
Thank you, Michaela! We’re so grateful to have you as a FuturesNW partner.