Louisiana

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Louisianas First Choice for College Access
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Welcome! LOSFA Professional School Counselor
Workshop 2012
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LOSFA Administered Programs and Presentation
Topics

• TOPS
• START Saving Program
• TOPS Tech Early Start Program
• Chafee Educational Training Voucher (ETV) Program
• Volunteer Firemens Tuition Reimbursement
  (Promotion Only)
• FLY Financial Literacy for You
• FLY Tour 2013

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LOSFA Administered Programs

• College Knowledge
• Go Grant
• Rockefeller State Wildlife Scholarship
• Health Care Educator Loan Forgiveness
• John R Justice Student Loan Repayment Program

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LOSFA Social Media Sites
http//www.facebook.com/LOSFA http//www.twitter
.com/LOSFA http//www.youtube.com/
LOSFA1000 http//www.Flickr.com/LOSFA
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• Legislative and Program Updates

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TOPS Military Extension

• A qualified student who enlists and enters on
  active duty in the Armed Forces within one year
  of graduation from high school must enroll in an
  eligible college no later than the semester,
  quarter or term following the one year
  anniversary of separation from active duty.
• The veteran must not have been discharged with an
  undesirable, bad conduct or dishonorable
  discharge.
• A student who meets these requirements and did
  not previously apply, must file a FAFSA within
  one year of separation from active duty.

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TOPS - ACT

• A qualifying score achieved on a National,
  International, Military, or Special ACT or
  equivalent SAT taken no later than April 30 and a
  first time qualifying scores on test taken after
  April 30 but before July 1 of the year of high
  school graduation will be accepted.
• Scores on tests taken after June of the year of
  high school graduation will not be accepted
  unless the student is granted an exception for a
  score earned on a test taken before September 30
  of the year of high school graduation based on
  proof that the student was prevented from taking
  the test prior to July 1 due to circumstances
  beyond the control of the student and
  attributable to the administration of the test.

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TOPS Academic Year

• On March 19, 2012, the Louisiana Student
  Financial Assistance Commission amended the
  Scholarship and Grant Program Rules to provide
  that the definition of the academic year includes
  the Summer Session and Summer-Fall Intersession.
  Beginning with the 2011-12 academic year and
  thereafter, the academic year begins with the
  fall term of the award year and concludes
  immediately before the next fall term commences.

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TOPS Academic Year

• As a result of this amendment, the hours a
  student earns during a summer session or during
  the summer-fall intersession will be included in
  determining whether a student has met the
  requirement to earn 24 hours during the academic
  year. Students are not required to enroll for the
  summer session or in any intersession.
• TOPS will not automatically pay for a summer
  session.
• An award made for summer school expends one
  semester or term of TOPS eligibility for those
  students who qualify.

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Federal Student Aid Eligibility Change

• Students who enroll in college for the first time
  on or after July 1, 2012 must have a high school
  diploma or GED, or have been home schooled, to be
  eligible for federal student aid (federal grants
  including Pell, loans and work study). Students
  who were enrolled before July 1, 2012 are not
  affected by this change.

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Change to Pell Grant Eligibility

• Pell Grants are need based federal grants
  available to both full-time and part-time
  undergraduate students. They do not need to be
  repaid. For the 2012-13 award year, the maximum
  Pell Grant remains at 5,500.
• The maximum number of equivalent full-time
  semesters a student is eligible to receive a Pell
  Grant will drop from 18 to 12 semesters for all
  students, including those close to completion.

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TOPS Processing Cycle

• Processing cannot begin until we can match your
  FAFSA data, STS data and ACT data
• This data is matched by SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER
• IF YOU DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER
  ON YOUR ACT REGISTRATION, YOUR TOPS PROCESSING
  WILL BE DELAYED

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• LOSFA
• College Access and
• Outreach

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Program Presentations

• All LOSFA presentations can be personalized to
  fit the needs of a specific audience
• TOPS
• FAFSA
• What is Financial Aid? An overview of financial
  aid
• State Aid Programs including TOPS
• FAFSA
• Federal Aid (Grant Loan Programs)
• Institutional Aid
• Private Aid

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Program Presentations

• College Knowledge
• FLY Financial Literacy for You
• FLY Tour 2013
• START Saving Program

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On-line Publications

• LOSFA Loop Online Newsletter
• TOPS Brochure (Opportunity, Performance Honors
  Awards)
• TOPS Tech Brochure
• Dont Blow Your TOPS Flyer
• Dont Blow Your TOPS Renewal Flyer
• Surfing the Web Flyer
• TOPS Core Curriculum Fact Sheet

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On-Line Publications

• TOPS Core Curriculum for Graduates of 2014 and
  thereafter Fact Sheet
• LOSFA Social Media Sites Flyer
• STARTing Line Online Newsletter
• Printed Publications
• START Brochure
• START Depositors Agreement Packets

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How Do I Schedule A Presentation?

• Call or e-mail Jerri Mack
• jerri.mack_at_la.gov
• [phone]
• [phone]
• LOSFA Representatives are available for day,
  night and weekend presentations
• Request your date as early as possible
• Please plan for adequate time for the
  presentation
• Scheduling an event with LACRAO does not include
  LOSFA. Feel free to invite LOSFA to your LACRAO
  event.

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PowerPoint Presentations

• You may request copies of LOSFA PowerPoint
  presentations to use at your school
• E-mail Jerri Mack
• jerri.mack_at_la.gov

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STS Training

• Times and Dates To Be Determined

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Financial Aid Call In Night

• Monday, February 18, 2013
• Public Information Representatives will be
  available from 6 p.m. 9 p.m.
• [phone] or
• [phone]
• Facebook Chat

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Why do I need a Trailblazer?

• Trailblazers receive the first program updates
  after the legislative session
• Trailblazers can assist counselors with informing
  students on TOPS requirements
• Trailblazers can serve as Peer Counselors on
  financial aid
• Trailblazers are trained on all types and sources
  of financial aid

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What makes a good Trailblazer?

• Leadership skills
• Communication skills
• Outgoing personality
• Service oriented

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Earn a Trailblazer Letter of Achievement/
Recommendation

• Complete a series of twelve tasks
• Have your Counselor certify that you have done so
• Receive your letter of Achievement/Recognition in
  early 2013

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Earn a Trailblazer Letter of Achievement/
Recommendation

• July 2012
• Like the LOSFA Facebook page
• Join the LOSFA Trailblazers Facebook group page
• Sign up as a College Goal Sunday Volunteer

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Earn a Trailblazer Letter of Achievement/
Recommendation

• August 2012
• Meet with your Counselor upon return to school in
  August and share your Trailblazer manual and
  other information learned at the camp.
• Work with your Counselor to develop and execute a
  plan to get all students at your high school to
  activate their Louisiana Connect accounts.
• Work with your Counselor to develop and execute a
  plan to encourage parents of your fellow students
  to activate their Louisiana Connect accounts.

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Earn a Trailblazer Letter of Achievement/
Recommendation

• September 2012
• Write a short essay on what you learned at
  Trailblazer Camp and have your Counselor Email it
  to LOSFA (custserv_at_osfa.la.gov).
• Invite all your Facebook friends to like LOSFA
  on Facebook by sharing our direct Facebook link
  in a message.
• Make sure that your school Web site has links to
  LOSFAs Web site and to the Louisiana Connect
  portal.

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Earn a Trailblazer Letter of Achievement/
Recommendation

• October 2012
• Work with your Counselor to schedule a College
  Day/Career Night/LOSFA presentation event at your
  school.

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Earn a Trailblazer Letter of Achievement/
Recommendation

• November 2012
• Recommend to your Counselor a current Junior at
  your school to be a 2013-2014 Trailblazer.
• Write a short essay detailing the activities you
  initiated, organized and/or executed to increase
  knowledge of financial aid opportunities at your
  school and have your Counselor Email it to LOSFA
  (custserv_at_osfa.la.gov). The final deadline for
  receipt is November 30.

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Earn a Trailblazer Letter of Achievement/
Recommendation

• February 24, 2013
• Attend College Goal Sunday at the location for
  which you volunteered
• Assist the LOSFA representative and the Site
  Coordinator as needed
• (This activity represents final completion of the
  task you received credit for when you volunteered
  during Trailblazer Camp last July. Fulfillment of
  this task will be on the honor system as we want
  to get your letters of Achievement/Recognition to
  you by mid-December so that you can include them
  in college admissions application packages.)

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Trailblazers 2013

• Northwestern State University
• Natchitoches
• July 14 - 16, 2013
• Nicholls State University
• Thibodaux
• July 21 - 23, 2013