Students wishing to receive complimentary money for college had their chance on January 31, 2010 as AWC's Financial Aid Office and the Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education (ACPE) joined together for College Goal Sunday in the Academic Complex.

For the 13th year in a row, AWC has continued to encourage college bound students to participate in this event, as it will surely help them when it comes to getting money they need for their future education. Ed Swierkos, the Coordinator of Financial Aid and Alison Howell, the Communications Coordinator, were there to help the college bound community.

Ed Swierkos' job includes supervising student loans and scholarships and offering presentations for students. When asked about his favorite part of College Goal Sunday Swierkos said, "I love knowing that the students are getting the money they will need for all of their schooling and that they will leave today feeling less stressed." Mr. Swierkos also stated that around 200-250 students usually show up to the event and sometimes even more. Indeed, just about every five minutes, ten more students walked through the door.

Now is the time for all high school seniors to start thinking about taking that big step and moving onto higher education. However, with a troubled economy, paying for your tuition can be a troubling thing. Navigating through FAFSA is something that can be easily done once you get the hang of it, but for first timers it can be a confusing process.

The event was held from 1-4 P.M. and featured only a small number of booths; however, many people were on hand to help. The booths kept the students busy as each table offered a great deal of information about scholarships and student loans. Free pamphlets and booklets were also available to help in the process of applying for a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and other information that dealt with that subject. There was also a booth known as TRIO, sponsored by the Student Support Services, which helped students who were either 1st generation- or low-income or students who had disabilities. Student Support Services can be found on the third floor of the 3C building.

The goal of ACPE and the AWC staff working for College Goal Sunday is to help students in need. These people want to see the youth develop a better understanding of postsecondary education. Most of the helpers were also bilingual, so they were able to help out a parent or student whether they spoke English or not.

Those who were not able to attend the event can still access the AWC website or log onto the FAFSA website at www.fafsa.ed.gov for more information about FAFSA.