LEAF partners with your high school to provide career, education, and financial aid advisory services that help students and families plan for the next step after graduation. Your LEAF Career and College Advisor can meet with you one-on-one at your high school, our Resource Center, or virtually. Our services are free to students and families within the schools we serve.

I enjoy this time of year. Connecting with friends, going to parties, and breaking out the new calendar!

For seniors, it is a time to get things in order because as you turn the calendar to 2024, you will be in the twilight of your high school career and begin to realize your life’s aspirations. Engaging in activities at the end of your high school years will, hopefully, create positive memories. The Fall of 2024 is only nine months away. There are things to do to make sure the happenings in your world go smoothly. 

Many decisions need to be made. But remember, it’s okay if everything doesn’t go the way you want it to go. It’s important to have a Plan B.  What’s yours?

As you look at the blank calendar, start to write in special dates, deadlines, and important events. Not only will it help you to be organized, it will be exciting to think of all the fun you will be having and anticipating significant activities that will impact your immediate future.  

It is fun to be a senior. Be sure you don’t lose yourself in all of the planning and preparing.  You will only be a high school senior once…make it memorable. No matter how you spend the holiday season, make it personally yours. Do things you like to do. But don’t forget that your future begins in 2024.

Plan and play…you are worth investing in your future. Hope your holidays are warm and memorable and that the new year is filled with fulfillment of dreams, fun, and friends.

Patricia G. Egan, CFRE MBA

LEAF Executive Director

If you missed our Nov. 13 Scholarships 101 presentation, email your LEAF Advisor for a link to the video playback and presentation slides.

The 2024-25 FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is an online financial aid application that students should complete if they plan to attend college in the 2024-25 academic year. This form will open up for filing by December 31 at studentaid.gov.

The FAFSA is the one form that all colleges, universities, and career technical schools require to allow students to be considered for federal and state-funded need-based aid, including federal loans. It is also the form that MOST schools require to award their own institutional need-based aid. Some colleges (typically private institutions) require a second form like the CSS Profile or their own institutional form posted on their website. Check "Financial Aid" tabs on your schools' websites for requirements and deadlines.

Plan to file the FAFSA by Priority Filing Deadlines. These deadlines will vary by institution. You can list up to 20 schools on your FAFSA and they will all receive your information when you submit the one application. If you file your FAFSA by the earliest FAFSA Priority Filing Deadline of all the schools on your list, then they will all receive it on time or ahead of time. Institutional aid is limited. By meeting Priority Filing Deadlines, you are maximizing your aid eligibility.

There are steps you can take now to be prepared to file the FAFSA when it opens, including setting up FSA IDs and gathering the needed financials. Review LEAF's November E-Newsletter to make sure you are ready.

Some tips for getting started with your FAFSA:

• Since the 2024-25 FAFSA is a roles-based form, the student will need to log in and complete the student section, while contributors (parent(s) if the student is deemed dependent) will log in and complete their section.
• It is recommended that students start the FAFSA using their own FSA ID and then follow the prompts to invite parent contributors (via email notification) to complete their section. However, if parents need to start the FAFSA before receiving the email invitation from the student, they can do so using their parent FSA ID.
• Within the FAFSA, student and parents will use their FSA IDs to consent to the transfer of tax information from the IRS into the FAFSA. If the student or parent did not file 2022 taxes, consent will still need to be provided so that the system can verify that 2022 taxes were, in fact, not filed.
• The FAFSA does not need to be completed in one sitting. You can save your progress and return to the application later.
• To get answers to your FAFSA questions, contact your LEAF Advisor or the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243.

Financial Aid Terms to Know

As a provider of services in our community, LEAF is looking for board members who are passionate about helping learners plan their career and college pathway. The Board meets monthly on the fourth Friday at 8:00 am. Meetings are in-person in even months on the Lakeland Campus and virtually in odd months. There are several committees for board members to provide organizational guidance. There is no minimum donation required for participation. Terms are three years. If you are interested in joining us, click here for the nomination form. Nomination does not automatically include board invitation. We embrace diversity. We will review nominations as they become available.

Students should begin checking for local scholarship in their high school counselor's office on a regular basis after winter break. Here are some local and statewide opportunities to consider:

Search online for scholarships awarded by local alumni associations affiliated with the colleges you are considering. Here are a few:

• Ohio University Women's Club of Greater Cleveland for a female student who will be an entering freshman at Ohio University (Athens) in the fall of 2024. Award can be up to full tuition.
• Kent State Alumni Scholarships - Criteria and awards vary.
• The Ohio State University Alumni Club of Greater Cleveland - Apply through Ohio State's Scholarship Universe platform.
• Penn State Alumni Association, Greater Cleveland Chapter Scholarship - offering scholarships for incoming freshman and upperclassmen.

Don't skip the FAFSA! It is recommended that all students file it for their first year of college. You may be eligible for aid that you did not expect. Some schools provide incentives just for having a FAFSA on file regardless of your financial situation. And if loan funds are needed, the FAFSA is essentially the student's application for accessing the Federal Direct Student Loan Program.

Your LEAF Advisor can take the guesswork out of the financial aid application process. Get connected today!

In case you missed it, here are link to our recent Senior E-Newsletters.

• September: Focused on postsecondary options, career exploration, and a senior year timeline for college-bound students.
• October: Focused on financial aid basics, how to make college affordable, and scholarships.
• November: Focused on creating FSA IDs and preparing for your FAFSA filing.

Thank you to our University Partners, Ursuline College and Lakeland Community College, and to all of our 2023-24 sponsors for supporting LEAF's mission.

Lake Erie College

Kent State University-Regional Campuses

Alliance for Working Together (AWT)