March 2019
NCAN Advocacy Days

College Success Arizona was part of the NCAN Advocacy Days, where more than 150 NCAN members and students convened in Washington to make their voices heard in the halls of the new Congress. The College Success Arizona team and the Metropolitan Education Commission took a group of students from the Tucson Youth Advisory Council to Washington DC to meet with the Arizona congressional delegation. The students advocated for NCAN's federal policy priorities on college affordability and access—which are primarily focused on simplification of the FAFSA; need-based financial aid and continued support for students regarding postsecondary education. 
Success Services Update:
Student Success Networks
CSA named the month of March Health and Wellness Month to support students to take care of themselves through health and wellness. Scholar Success Network events were held at four campuses where students completed self-care assessments and heard speakers present on the campus resources available to them. 

AzCAN Update
AZCAN attended Helios Education Foundation's 2019 College Knowing & Going Summit on March 7th with more than 80 people from 18 school districts gathered to discuss how to help Arizona students prepare for and succeed in postsecondary education. Speakers included Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction, Kathy Hoffman, who spoke about the importance of ensuring first-generation students are prepared to succeed in postsecondary education, and Catcher Baden from the Arizona Board of Education, who spoke about the importance of high-quality, scalability, and rigor when selecting statewide assessments.

Achieve60AZ Update
Bridging the AZ’s attainment gap will boost economy. Increasing postsecondary attainment to Arizona’s projected labor market needs of 68 percent would provide $7.6 billion in economic and social gains and has the potential to more than double the state’s annual economic growth rate. Meanwhile, just 17 percent of AZ high school freshman will graduate college by 2028, if trends continue.


Arizona Gives Day
We are excited to participate in Arizona Gives Day (4/2), a statewide, 24-hour online giving campaign to support the non-profit organizations that make Arizona a stronger, more vibrant state for all. Please consider making a contribution to College Success Arizona and supporting our efforts to increase college attainment in our state by helping more Arizonans go to college and graduate with a certificate or degree.

Student Spotlight
Ahjahna Graham
Ahjahna, a senior at ASU majoring in Political Sciences, was accepted last summer into ASU’s Capitol Scholar Program. She worked as an Intern for the US House of Representatives, focusing on health and higher education issues. “Becoming a CSA Scholar gave me the opportunity to join and apply for any program, job/event without the fear of any financial burdens.”