'LunchBreak with Achieve Twin Cities' virtual event addresses new FAFSA challenges

To help our community better understand the many challenges of this year's revised FAFSA, Achieve hosted a live virtual ‘Lunchbreak with Achieve Twin Cities’ event on March 13 that provided an overview of the recent FAFSA updates and the impact of current disruptions on students and families.

Major changes to the FAFSA were intended to simplify the financial aid process and make college more affordable for more young people. But delays and technical glitches have left students and families feeling frustrated, delayed college and financial aid decisions and led to a steep drop in submissions. These problems have only compounded long-time barriers to the complex financial aid and college enrollment process, increasing stress and anxiety for young people who are trying to make their postsecondary plans.

Our event was moderated by Caitlyn Cole, Achieve’s director of career and college readiness, and featured local experts Meghan Flores, manager of state financial aid programs for the Minnesota Office of Higher Education; Hana Sato, our Achieve Career & College Center co-coordinator at Washburn High School in Minneapolis; and Mainhia Thao, associate director of admissions and financial aid at St. Catherine University.

Learn more about the current FAFSA challenges and what to expect next on our YouTube channel event recording.