It has been a great honor to have been nominated and elected as your FASFAA Secretary for the past two years. Twelve years ago, I started in Financial Aid as a Federal work-study student and have transitioned to where I am today in a career that I love in financial aid. Through my career in financial aid and serving as your current FASFAA secretary, I have had the opportunity to meet so many others with the same passion for helping others achieve their dreams as I have.   

I am from a family where people were lucky to finish high school. College was never a discussion or a thought due to our very low income. My family thought that college was only for wealthy families, we never knew that it was a true possibility by simply completing a FAFSA application.  Although I did not know anything about college, I dreamed of it for as long as I could remember.  

When I was in tenth grade, I dropped out of high school. I got married and had my first son when I was seventeen. By twenty, I was raising my two sons on my own, no education, and newly disabled from a major spine injury from a car crash. Although I did not know how it could happen, I was determined that my sons would go to college somehow and have a better life than I had. There were no workshops, FAFSA events, or any outreach at all at that time in upstate New York where we lived. One day my sons and I decided it was time for all of us to take a new risk. I had to learn how to drive and purchase my first car, sell most of our furniture, pack what was left, and move my sons and my service dog to Florida. My hope was that my sons could attend college in a place where there were more career and education opportunities for them.  Thanks to the incredible outreach from organizations like Valencia College and FASFAA, I was driving my sons to college daily in no time, all while wishing that I could go as well. While learning what was needed for financial aid and college helping my sons, I realized that it is never too late to pursue my dream. I earned my GED and the week I received it in the mail, I was registering for classes at a Technical School. I am so proud that today I have earned five Associate degrees. Also, while serving as your current FASFAA Secretary, I have earned my bachelor’s degree.   

While serving as your FASFAA Secretary, I have had the opportunity to maintain current FASFAA records, organize past records to ensure that future secretaries and board members are able to locate and utilize them more efficiently, assist with the FASFAA Clock Hour Workshop, and moderate for several sessions at the 2021-2022 FASFAA conference. Also, as an elected member of the Executive Board, I was able to provide another student with a Bonnie Pirkle Scholarship, as a two-time recipient myself, it was truly an exciting opportunity. The nomination as a candidate to continue as your FASFAA Secretary for another term would be a great privilege and honor. I would love the opportunity to be your FASFAA Secretary again so that I can continue to grow with other financial aid professionals within the organization and keep moving forward finding new ways to help others like me who have a dream of going to college to have a better life, regardless of their circumstances and challenges. 

Work Experience:

Financial Aid Specialist, Valencia College, 2011-current