Close to 300 take part in Cash for College workshop

The Northern Marianas College hosted a well-received and successful “Cash for College” workshop over the weekend where staff members and community volunteers provided free, one-on-one financial aid assistance to nearly 300 participants. The next workshop will be on Tinian on Dec. 5, 2015, at the NMC Tinian Campus from 9am to 3pm.

The purpose of the free workshop was to assist students and their parents maximize scholarship opportunities currently available to those seeking to obtain a college education.

At the workshop, participants received personal, step-by-step assistance in completing college financial aid forms for the various federal and local scholarships and grants including the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the Saipan Higher Education Financial Aid, the CNMI Scholarship, and the College Access Challenge Grant Scholarship.

Other scholarships featured at the event included the Gates Millennium Scholarship, the Businesswoman of the Year Scholarship, and the AANAPISI Scholarship.

The college forged an agreement in June this year with the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund to promote the AANAPISI Scholarship program, to engage scholars in on-campus support and activities, and disburse funds and awardees. The deadline to submit applications was on Oct. 15, 2015, but was extended to Oct. 22, 2015, due to Typhoon Champi.

The workshop participants also received free notary and copying services, as well as fee waivers for the NMC admission application fee and placement tests for the upcoming spring 2016 semester.

“We are so lucky to have this kind of service brought into our community,” said Lorielyn Lacay, one student in attendance.

“We are very pleased with the great turnout for the Cash for College workshop,” said NMC dean of Student Services Leo Pangelinan. “It was rewarding to see many students take advantage of this opportunity to see what financial aid opportunities are available and how to maximize and apply for them.”

For students who missed the recent Cash for College workshop, Pangelinan recommends visiting NMC’s Financial Aid Office in Room N-1-1 at the As Terlaje campus (Monday to Friday, 8am to 4:30pm) or contacting the office at (670) 237-6791 to get assistance in filling up forms.

The free Cash for College workshops are made possible through financial support from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Access Challenge Grant program. This federal program aims to increase the number of students from under-represented minority populations enrolled in college. (NMC)