(PASSAIC, NJ) -- More Than Bootstraps (MTB), the New Jersey non-profit organization, is taking its campaign to encourage students to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to Passaic County Community College (PCCC).

After a successful kickoff event at Boverini Stadium during graduation rehearsal for the Passaic Public Schools’ graduating seniors, MTB College Student Leaders started holding online help sessions to assist families with FAFSA completion. On July 7th, the Student Leaders, graduates of the Passaic Public Schools who are currently attending institutions of higher education from Dartmouth College to William Paterson University, together with MTB High School Fellows took their outreach efforts to Our Lady Fatima & St. Nicholas Church in Passaic.

MTB’s latest collaboration is with PCCC. On July 24, in coordination with Ashley Castiglia, PCCC’s director of Admissions and Linda Gayton, director of Financial Aid, MTB Student Leaders began their on-site support. Trained in FAFSA completion, MTB Student Leaders are available each week to meet with incoming and returning PCCC students to help them #DotheFAFSA.

In-person support on site at PCCC is supplemented by online follow-up appointments. MTB’s FAFSA Completion support is offered in English, Spanish, or Gujarati to students and families who need help submitting, completing, or correcting this year’s #BetterFAFSA.

Student Leaders are continuing to spread the word that it’s neither too late nor too hard to #DotheFAFSA. Past issues with the FAFSA, which have unfairly delayed students in making their decisions about attending college, have been resolved, and students should do the FAFSA and get started on their higher education futures.

The FAFSA is safe, regardless of parents’ immigration status or tax filing history. Most people who complete the form get some money to help pay for college. More people than ever qualify for financial aid. The form is simpler, is now working, and takes as little as 10 minutes to fill out.

During MTB’s first FAFSA event at PCCC, one family was struggling with a contributor invitation issue – one of the common problems families encounter with the #BetterFAFSA. The MTB Student Leader noted that the family was “frustrated thinking this was a personal issue and that the parent would not be able to submit the FAFSA. We reassured her this was not her fault, re-did the whole application, and solved the problem.”

Families can access MTB support from trained Student Leaders who are members of the Passaic community at: bit.ly/MTBDotheFAFSA.

MTB’s FAFSA Completion Campaign is supported by a $27,500 award from Educational Credit Management Corporation as part of the nationwide FAFSA Student Support Strategy project. This award is part of the Department of Education’s effort to support student financial aid efforts by (1) increasing the 2024-25 FAFSA completion rates and (2) combating “summer melt” and increasing actual enrollment rates among students who have expressed an intent to enroll in college for the 2024-25 academic year.

Now beginning its fifth year of programming, MTB employs a near-peer mentoring approach to address the challenges first-generation, low-income students face in accessing and succeeding in higher education. Working with underrepresented students in and from Passaic, NJ, the organization matches high school students with college students from the community who serve as as mentors. MTB is a member of the National College Attainment Network (NCAN).

ECMC is a nonprofit corporation providing services in support of higher education finance, assisting students and families in their efforts to plan and pay for college.