"On July 23, Assistant Director of Financial Aid Christopher Pollard spoke to congressional staffers and higher education advocates on Capitol Hill about the basics of financial aid programs. The event, the National Profile hosted by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), gave Mr. Pollard the opportunity to share a financial aid administrator's perspective on working with students," GW Law writes.

"'NASFAA invited me to speak at their event and provide a boots-on-the-ground perspective on administrators of the challenges that students face in applying for federal student aid. I have a unique viewpoint though,' Mr. Pollard said, 'I was also able to speak from a student perspective because when I was pursuing my undergraduate degree, I benefited from federal student aid.'

Christopher Pollard speaking to congressional staffers and higher education advocates on Capitol Hill.Mr. Pollard said he had dreamed of pursuing a college degree since he was a child, and when it came time to apply for colleges, he had to decide how he was going to pay for school. After starting college at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, he became a mentor for high school students, eventually attaining a work-study position in the financial aid office.

Since then, Mr. Pollard has spent 10 years in higher education.

'I was able to give those in attendance not only a feel for the daily processing side of financial aid of reviewing FAFSA applications, processing requests, and awarding aid, but I also shared with them the amount of counseling we do with students.'"

NASFAA's "Notable Headlines" section highlights media coverage of financial aid to help members stay up to date with the latest news. Articles included under the notable headlines section are not written by NASFAA, but rather by external sources. Inclusion in Today's News does not imply endorsement of the material or guarantee the accuracy of information presented.

Publication Date: 8/28/2019