Campus Connection

Area college-bound students can take a major step toward paying for their future this January and February. Staff from the UWL Financial Aid Office will be among the volunteers helping incoming and current college students and their families fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) during a College Goal Wisconsin event at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, at Holmen High School. Current or prospective college students who will be enrolled in college in fall 2016 must fill out the form to apply for financial aid, such as Pell grants, federal student loans and work-study opportunities. “I think it is part of our mission in the Financial Aid Office to help students afford college and steer them to the resources to do that. Filling out the FAFSA is the first step,” says Louise Janke, UWL director of Financial Aid. “If we can help make what can seem a complex application process easier for families, then we’ve done our job.” UWL’s It Makes Cents! financial literacy program will also offer FAFSA workshops for current UWL students who need help with the forms. Those sessions include:

• 3 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28, 6 Wing Technology Center
• 1 p.m. Tuesday Feb. 2, 15 Wing Technology Center
• 2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 4, 1101 Centennial Hall
• 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9, 15 Wing Technology Center

While the Feb. 13 event is the only one happening in the La Crosse area, other College Goal Wisconsin events are happening throughout the state. All provide free information and assistance to students and their families who need to complete the FAFSA. Find out more, including what to bring, at http://collegegoalwi.org/