DeSoto County grad earns FAFSA Challenge scholarship

At DeSoto County High School’s Senior Awards Night last month, student Diana Rivera received a $500 college scholarship from United Way Suncoast (UWS) and Gulf Coast Community Foundation. The award was the top prize in an innovative contest designed to encourage more DeSoto County High seniors to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which qualifies them for Pell Grants and other federal financial aid for college.

Rivera will attend Saint Leo University in the fall, where she will study psychology. “I want to use my degree to go into social services,” she said.

UWS and Gulf Coast are among many partners in the Talent4Tomorrow initiative, a collaboration of community organizations working to improve college access and attainment for local students. Because FAFSA completion is a critical indicator of access to postsecondary education, one of the group’s priorities has been increasing FAFSA completion rates among area students.

With funding from Gulf Coast last fall, UWS expanded that effort from Sarasota into DeSoto County. Sponsored activities included two “FAFSA Labs,” at which students and their parents received assistance completing the form, and the FAFSA Completion Challenge scholarship contest. Rivera and other seniors who completed the FAFSA online and presented a report to the high school were entered into the contest.

Big Improvement for DeSoto High

“We found that DeSoto County High School graduates leave more than $300,000 for college on the table each year by not completing the FAFSA,” said Holly Bullard, director of Financial Stability Initiatives at United Way Suncoast. “That is federal college aid that doesn’t have to be repaid, and the FAFSA is the key to unlocking it for these students.”

According to the Florida College Access Network, which sponsors a statewide “FAFSA Challenge” to increase the proportion of seniors completing the application, DeSoto County High School saw a 13 percent increase in FAFSA completion between last school year and this year. By March 31, 2017, some 56 DeSoto seniors had completed the application.

“As a school board member, I understand the importance of local scholarships in helping high school seniors achieve their goal of attending a college or university,” said Deborah Snyder, School Board of DeSoto County member and United Way Suncoast volunteer.

“This scholarship is a way for our community not only to give back, but also to pay it forward. Thank you to Gulf Coast and all of the United Way donors and volunteers, and congratulations to Diana!”