Parents, do you know how important you are to your student’s future success? If your student is considered dependent on the FAFSA or WASFA, they need your information as a contributor to qualify for grants, scholarships, and work-study opportunities. Many schools require the FAFSA or WASFA to be completed before they offer additional gift aid to your student. We know this process can be a pain, but we are here to help! Book a 1-1 appointment with a member of the team or join us at a local completion event! Please enjoy this video created by FNW team members Regina Reid and Paige Holman to help you get excited. The end goal is incredible, and your student’s dreams truly rely on your support!
If that video didn’t pull at your heartstrings, perhaps these sobering statistics will. According to the Washington Roundtable’s Skill Up for Our Future Report, we are projected to have a skilled worker shortage in WA of 600,000 people and 1.5 million+ job openings by 2032. 75% of those opportunities will rely on students having a degree, apprenticeship, or high-value industry certification. Bachelor’s and advanced degrees will be in the highest demand and will be required for 45% of all job opportunities, not just those included in our skilled worker shortfall. These family-wage jobs have the potential to uplift multiple generations through education/training. Completing a Financial Aid application is critical to your student’s success in pursuing education after high school. “National research shows that 90% of students who complete a financial aid application attend college and that the main reason students do not complete one is they think it’s too complex or that they are not eligible for aid,” according to a Ready WA article. Given that completing a Financial Aid application is such a critical part of attaining education beyond high school, we hope you will support your student by doing your part and completing the parent contributor portion of the application. Check out our FAFSA/WASFA page for some additional resources to help you get started.
Are you considering going back to school too? FuturesNW would love to help you! As a non-traditional student myself, I got my bachelor’s degree in 2019 as a 39-year-old mom of 2, and I believe that you can do it too. Going back to school changed my life in profound ways. Before attending WWU, my husband and I were working 10 part-time jobs just to make ends meet. Neither of us had a bachelor’s degree and we were not eligible for family-wage jobs in our area because of it. My kids watched me work hard before and after my degree and we all agree that the hard work I am doing now is paying off. I now have 1 full-time job I love at FuturesNW that affords me time with my family and a living wage.
FuturesNW would love to help you and your student achieve your dreams by helping you complete your financial aid application and so much more!
-Ashley DeLatour, Executive Director of Programs