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College advice from a financial aid veteran

Tiffany Youngblood has spent 18 years in the world of financial aid -- and continues to make an impact on the lives of students.

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By
Abbey Slattery
, WRAL Digital Solutions
This article was written for our sponsor, MyFutureNC.

Over 80% of students benefit from some form of financial aid, yet the amount of money students need to borrow is steadily increasing. For those worried about affording college, financial aid offices can be a direct line to available resources.

Tiffany Youngblood currently serves as the assistant director of financial aid at Fayetteville Technical Community College and has accumulated 18 years in the world of financial aid. In her role, she helps students find financial aid, develop financial literacy and learn more about helpful resources.

The first place to start? FAFSA.

“Completing the FAFSA application is the first step for free or affordable education, and the percentage of students actually completing their FAFSA application is lower than it should be. Students don't always realize that completing the FAFSA application can direct them to other resources — and for our school, completing the FAFSA application is a criterion when you're applying for scholarships,” said Youngblood. “Some students might think their parents are making too much money, but we need them to fill out this information, because they don't know what institutional fundings they might be eligible for.”

Youngblood also recommends that students speak directly with the school they intend to attend to learn about additional financial resources. For example, Fayetteville Tech is offering a tuition-free program called Trojan Jump Start that will pay for four transferable college credits.

There are also specific resources for unique student groups.

“NC Reach is a state-funded scholarship that is catered to students that were in foster care. For a lot of students, once they come out of that foster care program, they’re trying to get a kickstart into the reality of what they need to do. When they come to school, they may think the only thing I need to do is apply for my FASFA application, but NC Reach can give them additional funding,” said Youngblood. “For our adult learners, we have something called the Finish Line Grant, which is a one-time emergency grant with a maximum of up to a thousand dollars. If those students are at least 50% completed with their program of study with a 2.0 GPA or higher, they can apply for this funding.”

“Always check with the school of your choice about how much it's going to cost to go to school and don't get caught up in thinking you can't afford to go to school,” she finished. “There are many resources available, and there is funding out there. Even for students whose GPA is not all that great, we can work on getting that up and finding a pathway that works for you.”

For high school students looking to save some money, dual credit classes at community colleges can help take care of core classes at a fraction of the cost that other colleges might charge.

In fact, while Youngblood works at a college, she often begins building connections with students while they’re completing high school. Her goal is to visit all of the high schools in Cumberland County before the end of May. By establishing a relationship early, Youngblood and her team are better positioned to give students financial advice.

“I always encourage students not to get into big student loan debt unless they have to. When I speak to our younger students, we put their student loans on their account, but it's an offer. How much does it cost for us for you to come to school here? How much are your books and what else do you need?,” said Youngblood. “Go and talk with your parents, and find out if it’s necessary for you to get these student loans — because that is a debt that you have to pay back, and you don’t want it to hinder you in the long run. Let's get started with completing your FAFSA application, and we're going to find some resources for you.”

Youngblood has challenged all of the financial aid administrators on her team to take this sort of approach to all of their interactions with students — ask the right questions, listen to their concerns and give them advice on how best to proceed.

While her office stays busy, knowing that she can be a lifeline for students keeps her motivated, and in turn keeps her team motivated.

“I have to commend my advisors, because they take the time to hear the stories that the students are going through. If it's a student that is constantly changing their program and their grades are fluctuating, this is where we're going to get a lifeline. We’ll connect the students with a career counselor and ask key questions: what are your short-term goals? what are your long-term goals? Do you want to go to a four-year institution or are you stopping here at two years?,” said Youngblood. “We want to have those conversations and as financial aid administrators, we know we have to stay in our financial lane, but we have resources to speak to other people that can help. We have success coaches. We have our academic advisors that can we partner with. We want to see students come to school and change the trajectory of their lives.”

This article was written for our sponsor, MyFutureNC.

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