The class of 2024 is blowing through their senior year at lightning speed, and will soon begin applying to colleges if they haven’t already. On October 24 while freshmen, sophomores, and juniors were occupied with the PSAT, the senior class of 2024 gathered in the auditorium for a few activities lasting from 7:40 AM to 10:50 AM. There, they listened to visitor Abigail Broderick, the Director of School Partnerships at Arizona State University, who discussed the college application process through a financial lens. This included highlighting the differences in the costs of attending universities, the different types of loans, and the scholarships offered through the institutions as well as other third-party applications. She additionally helped students create their FAFSA IDs, which is the first part of the FAFSA process and is crucial for applying to colleges.

FAFSA, or the Free Application for the Federal Student Aid, is a form filled out by students that is used to help determine the eligibility of certain students for financial aid including grants such as the Pell Grant or Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants. It would be beneficial to all students, no matter their background, as several students are still eligible for unsubsidized federal student loans.

The second part of the senior workshop was  a presentation done by AP Literature teachers Mrs. Patterson and Mr. Johnson about writing college essays. They helped emphasize what students should and should not do when writing their college essays and discussed topics such when using AI appropriately and its possible positive applications.

Thank you to Mr. Ator for organizing the Senior Workshop. This event was, in his words, “a great opportunity to talk about some important topics when it comes to life after graduation”. It was an amazing way for all of this year’s graduating students to learn more about the opportunities in life right after high school. Go Knights!