The Financial Aid Department hosted a Financial Aid Awareness Fair, which sought to educate students on how to apply for and receive aid through “4 Easy Steps to Cash,” on April 25 in Falcon Square and April 26 in the Administration Building.

By visiting each booth, representing steps in the process of acquiring financial aid, Cerritos students received free food and could participate in a giveaway.

Two bands performed at the Falcon Amphitheater just behind the booths on the first day.

Student Affairs Technician and Outreach Coordinator Yajayra Tovar said that the fair was held in the Administration Building on April 26 because of low table availability, but they continued to hand out nachos and prizes to an even larger crowd.

“We try to do this annually; this year we’re focusing on the ‘4 Easy Steps to Cash,’ so we’re trying to educate our students on the steps that they need to take to receive their financial aid on time,” she said, “or hopefully if they apply late, that at least they are following those steps.”

First, students must apply for financial aid, with the department offering workshops on Saturdays at the Administration office from 9 a.m. to noon for students who need help.

This first step is vital to determining whether one is a dependent or independent student, which is important in documents required for the application process.

Tovar said she recommends applying for FAFSA six months in advance, which would require it to be submitted in February.

A financial aid specialist said the fair was going great on its first day.

“We’ve just started but we’ve had a lot of people picking up a lot of information,” Ronda Lipsohn said, “down the line, there is a lot of important information about financial aid.”

After successfully applying, students receive a Missing Information Letter in the mail, which notifies them of the documents still required and directs students on how to submit them to the Financial Aid Department.

Tovar elaborated on the process and some common misconceptions about it.

“I think a lot of students are not really aware of all the technical stuff that needs to occur in the office and that sometimes it can create delays for students.

“We also recommend students apply much, much earlier in the year so that we have enough time to get their files ready and money is available on time when fall comes around,” Tovar said.

Once their financial aid file is finished with all information accounted for, students receive an award letter that informs them of exactly how much aid they will have.

They can then also check their financial aid details with MyCerritos for the academic year.

Lastly, students at the fair learned about the final step of disbursement by utilizing the Higher One card or redirecting funds to their own bank account.

However, students are informed about the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy, which they must comply with by completing so many units relative to the number of units they enrolled in to avoid probation and termination.

Economics and accounting major Marco Tolento, who is currently on financial aid, agrees with the conditions of SAP.

“The SAP program, I think, is a great requirement. That way, it kind of weeds out the people who are just getting the financial aid money and then dropping their classes with W’s or getting bad grades, because they’re not really here for their education,” he said.

Tolento also added that he had issues with the Higher One card.

“I think the Higher One program, although it is a little bit more efficient with the card form, I think their fees are a little steep … They kind of get out of hand a little bit, specifically for people who get low amounts of financial aid.

“All those dollars and cents really do add up,” he said.

Representatives were on hand from the iFalcon club to inform students about the Habits of Mind, a skill set composed of suggestions to students to improve and maximize their college experience.

The president of iFalcon club was on hand at the booth to assist students and inform them about the club’s principles.

“There are a lot of people who are actually interested in the resources that Cerritos College has to offer,” Yesenia Carvajal said.

“iFalcon, the campaign itself, focuses on student success, therefore a part of student success is linking up to the resources here at Cerritos College … A lot of people need financial aid, but they don’t know about the resources they can get from it.

“So our goal is to get the students informed and engaged, to be able to link up with these resources.”

The final informational booth concerned two programs that offer extra assistance for those in need; Extended Opportunity Programs and Services, and Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education.

Intermediate clerk for the EOPS and CARE office and student of both programs, Cynthia Valencia, said that since the fair more students have come in to the office.

“A lot of students want to join the program because of counseling and early registration,” she said.

Valencia said that the program has been a great help with getting her the classes she needed when she needed them and counselors have helped her prepare to transfer.

Another intermediate clerk, Vanessa Carranza, a student in the nursing program, added that additional services such as math tutoring and math classes designed for the EOPS program helps students out.

“And the money that they give us too; it’s $125 for a book, and that’s $125 that most of us don’t have, so we actually do appreciate everything EOPS could do for us, as well as financial aid.”

Tovar said that the fair was “a great way for students to get to know the financial aid and EOPS family.”

“We work together very closely, and we definitely support our students. We know that a lot of them are going through a lot of rough times, so we just come out to do something really nice for them.

“And it’s just a way of us saying ‘we’re here, we support you, let us help you.'”

Public relations major Rocky Kim was one of the performers from the concert on April 25.

“[Tovar] called me a week ago saying that she’s doing this financial aid thing.

“And ‘Comeback Alive’ kind of does charity itself, and I thought it’s like a perfect match.”