By Zoe Turner, NASFAA Policy Staff

Dear NASFAA Community,

It is with a great sense of gratitude and pride that I reflect on my time spent as the Dallas Martin Endowment Policy Intern in my final week with NASFAA. My internship began nearly three months ago, and since then, each week has been defined by the support and knowledge I’ve received from the NASFAA staff, members, and the greater higher education community. I came into this internship with only my personal experience with financial aid in higher education, and leave feeling enlightened and inspired by the tireless work this community devotes to the success of their students. The opportunity to work around field professionals creating an impact in higher education has cemented my passion for education policy and advocacy. Below I’ve chosen to share a few highlights that made my summer so incredible. I cannot give enough thanks to the whole NASFAA staff, especially the policy team, for their dedication to my growth as an aspiring public policy professional.

National Profile

One of my primary responsibilities as the DME Policy Intern was to update the 2024 National Student Aid Profile. Following an unprecedented year marked by FAFSA Simplification and the end of the covid repayment pause, the profile will provide an in-depth review of the federal student aid programs in the 2023-24 year. In this experience I strengthened my existing skills in data-science and learned to apply them to education data. Profile work also served as a preliminary introduction to the history and impact of the federal student aid programs I was unfamiliar with. In an increasingly data-driven world, I hope the presentation and analysis of student aid 2023-24 trends empower financial aid administrators, students, families, and advocates of higher education to continue to push for increased funding for these programs. I am also extremely grateful for the contributions of the policy and communications team for pulling together an incredible product. Stay tuned for the publishing of the student aid profile on NASFAA’s website soon!

Congressional Advocacy

During my time this summer, I participated in two NASFAA advocacy pipelines and the Committee for Education Funding (CEF)’s hill day on Capitol Hill. We met with congressional offices from all over the country on both sides of the aisle to advocate NASFAA member priorities including increased funding for campus-based aid, delaying the GE reporting deadline, and the elimination of origination fees. Growing up just 40 minutes outside of the D.C., walking the halls of House of Representatives and Senate office buildings to lobby for change has been a lifelong dream of mine. I entered meetings with a sense of pride to help represent a resilient and diverse membership of financial aid professionals and witnessed the power of combining data and anecdotes to impact staffers and their work. The advocacy pipeline participating members were accomplished, knowledgeable, and compelling in their advocacy as was NASFAA’s Assistant Director of Government Relations, Nalia Medina who led the charge. It was clear to me the respect NASFAA maintains among education-focused offices and I learned a great deal about legislative proceedings from these experiences. A few fun moments included meeting the office dog in Congresswoman Bonamici’s office, seeing Congresswoman DeLauro in the halls of a House office building, and seeing the state specific decor in each office. 

2024 PEP Convening and National Conference 

It’s hard to believe it’s been 2 months since I traveled to Milwaukee to attend the Prison Education Program (PEP) Convening and 2024 National Conference. This trip was my first to Milwaukee and also the first time meeting many of the NASFAA staff and members in person. I spent the first part of my trip attending the PEP convening where I heard from diverse panels of field experts. The convening covered the importance of language, understanding the “best interest of students” in practice, tools of technical assistance for aspiring PEPs, and much more. I most enjoyed the panels of justice-impacted scholars who have made profound contributions to the community and the day three reentry simulation. I am so thankful for the support from my supervisor Rachel Rotunda, NASFAA’s Prison Education Specialist Sheila Meiman, and NASFAA’s event logistics administrative assistant, Kristy Laschober, for finding opportunities to help me explore this interest. My experience at the PEP convening inspired me to author a two-part PEP blog coming soon.

The rest of the conference was just as exciting as it was informative. Each panel and general session I attended taught me more about the field and pressing issues to advocate for. My favorite sessions I attended were “Helping the Homeless and Foster Youth Fill Out the FAFSA” and “Ladies Nights: Empowering Women in Financial Aid and Beyond.” I am still moved by the personal stories of hardship and success shared by FAAs throughout the week and their clear dedication to improving student avenues for success. I am lucky to have connected with so many great people in Milwaukee.

What’s Next

On August 19th, I will begin my fall semester at UNC Chapel Hill to continue working on my Master of Public Policy with an expected graduation of June 2025. My concentration will be Education and Labor Markets and it is my hope to find work in Washington D.C. after the year is finished. I would like to give one last thank you to NASFAA for an incredible summer, especially to the Policy Team and Rachel Rotunda, Megan Walter, and Nalia Medina whom I worked most closely with and provided me with much guidance this summer. I truly believe in the power of this organization to make meaningful change and I will be keeping up from afar!

Publication Date: 8/16/2024