Sr. Lilly Lopez Schulze walks to the office, dreading the tough talk about post-graduation plans during her meeting with the college advisors. Schulze’s worry is washed away when she spots mountains of chips, many drinks, and varieties of candy.
Encouraging students to complete the daunting, yet important, tasks of senior year is difficult. Meeting with the college advisors and finishing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is crucial for every student regardless of their plans after graduation. Still, many students need help to complete these tasks.
“Even though I had a plan to turn in my FAFSA by a date, I put it off because it had a far due date and I had other stuff I considered more important at the time to do,” Sr. Mike Doan said. With FAFSA having a late start and end date in 2024, it is easy for Seniors to push it off until the last minute; setting up meetings with advisors is no different. The meetings are even easier to set aside, and far more nerve-wracking than FAFSA. “Honestly, I wasn’t very eager to meet with them, it was tough to talk about college ideas, let alone FASFA,” Sr. Lilly Lopez Schulze said.
This year’s college advisors, Juan Vazquezhernandez and Stelle Weinberg, have given prizes and treats to those who complete their FAFSA and arrange an appointment. Prizes range from chips and soda to $25 gift cards to Barnes & Noble. The college advisors made sure to have something for everyone to encourage seniors. “With the gift cards, I feel like people have been making a lot more meetings for FAFSA. West Ottawa is such a large school so sometimes we have a hard time reaching all the seniors, and so we were kind of hoping that the snacks will help draw people in,” said Weinberg.
The events and incentives given to seniors are game changers; they make students feel welcomed and confident. “Once I did meet with them It felt like a great choice. While I did feel more motivated, I also felt rewarded for my efforts. With all the treats they had, it made it very welcoming,” Lopez Schulze said. Receiving prizes for their hard work is important to students.
With the school workload, many scholarships, and post-graduation plans at hand, sometimes a pat on the back is all students need to keep going. The goodies from Vazquezhernandez and Weinberg are medals for seniors; they signify their success and hard work.