Webinar: Financial Aid 101 for Support Staff

Join us for a webinar on understanding and navigating the financial aid application processes for Passport-eligible students. In this session, there will be an overview of understanding the FAFSA Simplification Act, best practices in overcoming application barriers for these youth populations, and guidance on additional verification processes to receive financial aid. We will also share resources to support you as you help students take their next steps in their post-secondary education.

At the end of this webinar, attendees will learn about the different federal, state, and school-based financial resources available to students. Attendees will also better understand how students access financial aid resources, how aid is awarded, and how financial aid offices build cost of attendance budgets and prioritize aid awarding.

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About the Presenter

Maria Rebecchi is director of scholarships and financial aid education at College Success Foundation. Over the course of 30 years, she built a career at postsecondary institutions and nonprofit organizations with the goal of helping low-income, first-generation students and their families navigate the complexities of financial aid.

Her prior work experience includes director of programs and evaluation at TheDream.US, interim director of financial aid at South Seattle College, director of programs at The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis, associate director of financial aid at Bastyr University as well as WorkSource-affiliate coordinator and employment case manager at the YWCA in downtown Seattle.

Maria is co-founder of Universidad YA!/College NOW!, a task force of the Hispanic Arts Council of St. Louis geared towards addressing the needs of DREAMers in their quest for postsecondary education in the Midwest. She worked with United Way of Greater St. Louis to develop ‘Get on Board’, a program that provides comprehensive training for BIPOC leaders interested in serving on nonprofit boards. She was also a board member of the Hispanic Arts Council of St. Louis and chair of the John F. Garganigo Scholarship Committee. More recently, Maria served as a scholarship board member of the Latino Leadership Initiative, a joint effort of Edmonds College, Skagit Valley College and the University of Washington-Bothell.

Maria received her master’s degree in human services from St. Edward’s University, a bachelor’s degree in sociology with an emphasis in diversity from the University of California-Irvine, and certification in print journalism from the University of California-Los Angeles. Her extensive volunteer experiences range from supporting community health initiatives to intensive work with immigrant and refugee families in matters of education and social services to volunteer tax preparation for low-income individuals. Inclusion, equity, and educational opportunity have been consistent themes in much of her work.