State Speaks Spanish to Parents of High School Students

ISAC uses bilingual training sessions and “telenovelas” to help thousands of Hispanic students obtain college financial aid

CHICAGO, IL – A telenovela called “No Nacimos Ricos” (“We Weren’t Born Rich”) and a strategy of “training the trainers” are two of the tools the State of Illinois is using to inform Spanish-speaking parents of high school students about available college financial aid programs

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) - the state’s chief provider of financial aid and counseling to college-bound students - is reaching out to parents who have limited English proficiency.

The agency will conduct a training session - entirely in Spanish - for college financial aid administrators, high school guidance counselors and community organizations to help them organize financial aid workshops for Spanish-speaking parents and students.  “How to Conduct a Financial Aid Presentation…in Spanish” has become one of ISAC’s most popular professional development events.  Last year’s event reached an estimated 18,000 students and their parents. There are an estimated 130,000 students of Hispanic heritage in Illinois high schools.

The free session will be held on Friday, September 19, 9:00 a.m. at Malcolm X College, 1900 W. Van Buren, Chicago. It includes a Spanish-language presentation about the free college planning resources available to high school students and their parents such as ISAC’s innovative IllinoisMentor on collegezone.com Web site, and the scholarship and loan programs offered through ISAC, such as the Monetary Award Program (MAP), Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive for Access Grant and Illinois Veteran Grant (IVG).

Each attendee will be provided with a free set of Novelas EducativasTM, educational films inspired by the popular Spanish-language telenovelas genre. Each of the four telenovelas presents valuable information in a familiar format in Spanish. Intended for use in classrooms, workshops or learning labs, each film addresses a different topic relating to the college application and financial aid process.

For example, “Amor Escolar” (“My Love for Education”) shows the dynamic between a parent and a first-generation college student taking classes at a community college. Another telenovela focuses on a single mom and co-worker discussing the challenge of balancing work, family and college.

“Our mission at ISAC is to reduce barriers to college for every high school student in our diverse state,” said Andrew Davis, ISAC Executive Director.  “Applying to college and seeking financial aid is tough in any language. Our training session at Malcolm X and these entertaining Novelas Educativas will help thousands of Spanish-speaking parents navigate the process.”

This is the fifth year ISAC is observing Hispanic Heritage Month with such an initiative.  In addition to the training sessions in Spanish for financial aid and guidance professionals, ISAC’s bilingual staff conducts outreach events across the state reaching thousands of Hispanic students and their parents every year.

Already in September, ISAC has marched in the Mexican Independence Day Parade and has scheduled Spanish-language “Parent Financial Aid Nights” at Holy Trinity High School in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood and Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in the Pilsen neighborhood.  Other events providing bilingual presenters will be held in Streamwood, Crystal Lake, East Moline and Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood.

The need for such targeted outreach efforts is dramatized by the findings of a poll by Project Success. Latino parents - the poll found - strongly support their children’s college aspirations, but lack the “college knowledge” to guide them through the complex process. Further, many high school guidance counselors have overwhelming caseloads and are often unable to provide the one-on-one assistance the students need.

With Hispanic students comprising a growing proportion of elementary, secondary and college student populations across Illinois, ISAC has made Hispanic outreach a year-round priority. Most ISAC brochures and its comprehensive Web site – collegezone.com – are available in Spanish, as well as the Web site for College Illinois!SM, the state’s 529 prepaid tuition program.

A toll-free ISAC hotline (800.899.4722) offers Spanish-speaking counselors to assist students and parents in planning, finding, applying and paying for a college education.

For online registration to the free “How to Conduct a Financial Aid Presentation…in Spanish” training, go to: http://www.collegezone.com/elibrary/2290_SemRegFormSpanish.asp

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) provides students of all ages and backgrounds with the resources and support to obtain financial aid for higher education.

A state agency, ISAC has paved the path to post-secondary education with innovative programs for more than 50 years. Last year alone, ISAC continued its mission to make college affordable for Illinois students by issuing 185,000 grants and scholarships totaling more than $448 million.

The Commission coordinates educational funding with student loans, as a loan guarantor and via numerous public programs such as the successful Monetary Award Program (MAP), the Illinois Veteran Grant and College Illinois!sm, the Commission’s groundbreaking 529 prepaid tuition program. Students and families have free access to a wealth of financial aid and college planning information at ISAC’s flagship website: http://www.collegezone.com/

About ISAC
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission is the State’s centralized provider of financial assistance aimed at helping students and families access postsecondary education and/or training. Each year, the Commission awards an estimated $400 million in scholarship and grant aid to nearly 185,000 qualified students, and also provides an additional $740 million to borrowers through its student loan programs. The agency offers credit-based alternative loans, a 529 prepaid tuition program known as College Illinois!, and a broad array of outreach and informational services to ensure that families have access to the information they need to pay for a college education. More information is available by calling toll-free 800.899.ISAC (4722) or visiting the agency’s Web site at www.collegezone.com.