ISAC Reaches Out to Spanish-Speaking Parents of High School Students - Training sessions to help Hispanic students obtain college financial aid

CHICAGO, IL – A major push to inform Spanish-speaking parents of high school students about state student aid programs is the cornerstone of Hispanic Heritage Month 2007 activities of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), the state’s chief provider of financial aid and counseling to college-bound students.

The agency announced it will conduct two training sessions - entirely in Spanish - for college financial aid administrators, high school guidance counselors and community activists 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.

The free, 3-hour training sessions include a PowerPoint presentation in Spanish which details the college planning resources available to high school students such as ISAC’s innovative IllinoisMentor on collegezone.com Web site, and the many 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). The training sessions will be:
  
Friday, September 14, 9:00 a.m. at University of Illinois at Chicago
Student Services Building, Room C
1200 W. Harrison (600 S), Chicago

Friday, October 12, 9:00 a.m. at Governors State University
Hall of Honors Room, One University Pkwy, University Park

“The path to the American Dream is education. 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 intimidating in any language. Our training sessions at UIC and Governors State will empower bilingual professionals to help thousands of Spanish-speaking parents navigate the process.”

This is the third year ISAC is observing Hispanic Heritage Month with such an initiative. Last year’s events in Joliet, Rockford and Kankakee trained dozens of professionals who in turn convened financial aid events serving more than 12,000 Spanish-speaking parents.

“Spanish is the primary language spoken in more Illinois homes than any other foreign language,” said Eduardo Brambila, ISAC’s Director of Community Partnerships. “Valuable college planning tools are available from ISAC, but we need to make sure Spanish-speaking parents are aware of them. No student in Illinois should be denied essential college planning simply because English is not their parents’ native language.”

“Children of immigrants have unique hurdles to overcome,” said Jacqui Moreno, ISAC’s Director of College Access Initiatives. “Students look to their parents for guidance in the college selection process. Unfortunately, some parents with limited English proficiency lack basic awareness of the financial assistance available to them.”

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 conducted “Parent Financial Aid Nights” in the Humboldt Park community and at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in the Pilsen neighborhood. Upcoming ISAC Hispanic Heritage Month events targeting Hispanic students are slated at:

• Northtown Academy, 3900 W. Peterson, Chicago (Wednesday, September 19)
• McHenry County Community College, Crystal Lake (Tuesday, September 25)
• College Fair at Toyota Park, 7000 S. Harlem, Bridgeview (Saturday, October 6)
• Triton College, 2000 5th Avenue, River Grove (Thursday, October 11)

For information, visit collegezone.com and click on “ESPANOL”.

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!, the state’s 529 prepaid tuition program. A toll-free hotline (800.899.4722) offers Spanish-speaking counselors to assist students and parents in planning, finding, applying and paying for a college education.

The Hispanic outreach efforts of ISAC have earned the agency national recognition. In fact, ISAC staff addressed the prestigious Tomas Rivera Policy Institute’s Annual Education Conference last year to explain ISAC’s innovative collaboration with the Tax Assistance Program to help low-income taxpayers with high school children complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

To register for the free “How to Conduct a Financial Aid Presentation in Spanish” training sessions at the UIC or Governors State, contact Eduardo Brambila at 847.948.8500, x3708 or register online at collegezone.com.

For 50 years, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission has been the State’s centralized provider of financial assistance aimed at helping students and families access postsecondary education or training. Each year, ISAC awards more than $400 million in scholarship and grant aid to at least 200,000 qualified students and provides an additional $1 billion to borrowers through its student loan programs. The agency’s successful 529 prepaid tuition program - College Illinois! - has more than 53,000 contracts. And ISAC’s innovative IllinoisMentor at collegezone.com Web site is a powerful, free one-stop resource for students who need support in preparing for and succeeding in college.

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.