Posts from the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

When Your Cup Overfloweth

You are holding a cup of coffee when someone comes along and bumps into you, making you spill your coffee everywhere. Why did you spill the coffee? You spilled the coffee because there was coffee in your cup. Had there been tea in the cup, you would have spilled tea. the point is whatever is inside the cup, is what will spill out. Therefore, when life comes along and shakes you (which will happen), whatever is inside you will come out. It’s easy to fake it, until you rattled. So, we have to ask ourselves, “What’s in my cup?” When life gets tough, what spills out? Joy, gratefulness, peace and humility? Or does anger, bitterness, harsh words and reactions come out? You choose! Today let’s work towards filling our cups with gratitude, forgiveness, joy, words of affirmation, kindness, gentleness and love for others.

How Does Financial Aid Work?

Each year, the federal government provides more than $150 billion in financial aid (grants, work-study, and loans) for college or career school. To apply for this aid, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA^®). Also, state governments and many colleges and career schools use your FAFSA information to award you their aid.

Did you know? Some schools won’t consider you for merit scholarships (scholarships based on academic achievement or other talents or skills) until you’ve submitted a FAFSA, so complete one even if you think you won’t qualify for federal aid.

Relax! The FAFSA is designed to be simple to fill out. Tips throughout the application help you understand the questions. Most people finish filling out the FAFSA in less than half an hour!

Preparing for the FAFSA^®

The FAFSA process is quicker and easier when you have a username and password called an FSA ID. (If your parent is providing information on your FAFSA, he or she will need his or her own FSA ID as well.) Learn more about the FSA ID and how to create yours at StudentAid.gov/fsaid.

Gather This Information

The FAFSA asks questions about you and your finances, so have the information below handy.

• Social Security number
• alien registration number
• federal tax information or tax returns
• records of untaxed income; cash, savings
• and checking account balances
• and investments other than the home in which you live

Don’t have all your info ready yet? That’s okay; you can start the FAFSA, save it, and come back later to finish it. (To find out whether you need to report info about your parents, visit StudentAid.gov/dependency.)

Filling Out the FAFSA^®

Each October, the FAFSA is available for the next school year. It’s important to fill it out as soon as possible to meet school and state financial aid deadlines.

Submission Options

• Electronic form (fill out at fafsa.gov)
• Mail-in application (download PDF at fafsa.gov or order printed PDF at www.edpubs.gov)
• Electronic submission by your college or career school (ask if they can submit the FAFSA for you)

Meeting Financial Aid Deadlines

Each state and school has its own FAFSA deadline. Check a college’s or career school’s deadline on its website or by calling its financial aid office. Most state deadlines are at fafsa.gov/deadlines.htm.

Did You Know? You may be able to retrieve and transfer tax information into the form automatically using the Internal Revenue Service Data Retrieval Tool (IRS DRT).

Processing the FAFSA^®

After you submit your FAFSA, your information will be sent to the colleges and/or career schools you listed on the form.

Process Timeline

You’ll receive an e-mail within a few days, letting you know your FAFSA was processed.

Your college or career school might request additional information from you. Make sure you respond by any deadlines.

First-time Applicants

You’ll receive an aid offer from each college or career school you applied to and listed on your FAFSA, stating the amount of aid you could receive at the school.

Review and compare your offers, and decide which school to attend based on the school’s net cost and how well the school suits your needs.

Renewal Applicants

You’ll receive an aid offer from your school stating the amount of aid you could receive at the school.

Receiving Financial Aid

Formally accept the school’s aid offer­­—and remember, if you’re offered student loans, borrow only as much as you really need.

Your school will handle your aid. Ask the financial aid office when and how your aid will be paid out, what it’ll cover, and how much (if any) money will come directly to you once tuition and fees are paid.

Get free assistance and answers at fafsa.gov or 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243).

Federal Student Aid
An Office of the U.S. Department of Education
Proud Sponsor of the American Mind^®
StudentAid.gov

Who Is Eligible For Financial Aid?

Most students are eligible to receive financial aid from the federal government to help pay for college or career school. Your age, race, or field of study won’t affect your eligibility for federal student aid. While your income is taken into consideration, it does not automatically prevent you from getting federal student aid.

To receive federal student aid, you’ll need to…

Qualify to obtain a college or career school education, either by having a high school diploma or General Educational Development (GED) certificate, or by completing a high school education in a homeschool setting approved under state law

AND

Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student in an eligible degree or certificate program

AND

Be registered with Selective Service, if you are a male (you must register between the ages of 18 and 25)

AND

Have a valid Social Security number unless you are from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau

AND

Sign certifying statements on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) stating that

– you are not in default on a federal student loan and do not owe a refund on a federal grant and

– you will use federal student aid only for educational purposes

AND

Maintain satisfactory academic progress in college or career school 

In addition you must…

Be a U.S. CITIZEN or U.S. NATIONAL

You are a U.S. citizen if you were born in the United States or certain U.S. territories, if you were born abroad to parents who are U.S. citizens, or if you have obtained citizenship status through naturalization. If you were born in American Samoa or Swains Island, then you are a U.S. national.

OR

Have a GREEN CARD

You are eligible if you have a Form I-551, I-151, or I-551C, also known as a green card, showing you are a U.S. permanent resident

OR

Have an ARRIVAL-DEPARTURE RECORD

Your Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services must show one of the following:

-Refugee

-Asylum Granted

-Cuban-Haitian Entrant (Status Pending)

-Conditional Entrant (valid only if issued before April 1, 1980)

-Parolee

OR

Have BATTERED IMMIGRANT STATUS

You are designated as a “battered immigrant-qualified alien” if you are a

victim of abuse by your citizen or permanent resident spouse, or you are the child of a person designated as such under the Violence Against Women Act.

OR

Have a T-VISA

You are eligible if you have a T-visa or a parent with a T-1 visa.

Start filling out the FAFSA at http://www.fafsa.gov.

The U.S. Department of Education’s office of Federal Student Aid provides more than $150 billion every year in grants, loans, and work-study funds to students attending college or career school. Visit StudentAid.gov today to learn how to pay for your higher education.

8 Lessons People Learn Too Late In Life

1. Everything is Temporary: Nothing lasts forever especially pain, like the pain of a really bad break up or loss of a friendship, nothing is forever so you can’t dwell on the past.
2. Family Matters More Than Friends: Don’t put friendships ahead of family especially when you’re young and you think your family judges you and your friends don’t. Friends will not help you when life gets tough, only family will be there with the tough times hit.
3. Beneath Anger is Always Fear: Insecurity and fear always show up in your burst of anger, it is very important to understand it is okay to be humble.
4. Things Don’t Matter That Much: When someone cuts you off driving it doesn’t really matter, we get derailed by the small things because we are just hungry or stressed, but understand things don’t really matter that much.
5. A Lifetime Isn’t Very Long: Think about your great-grandparents, grandparents, and even parents, they all have been through a ton of experiences and it really wasn’t that long ago ..
6. Others Treat You The Way You Treat Yourself: If you are upset about the way a person is treating you, understand they do it because you do it to yourself and show them they can get away with the treatment.
7. Happiness Is A Choice And Requires Hard Work: If you focus on negative than you will attract negative, your thoughts become your habits and your habits become your character and your character becomes who you are; change your thoughts and change who you are.
8. You played it too safe: You should have asked that girl out, you should have asked for that job, you should have asked for help, you should have gone to school, you should have started earlier, you should have waited, you should have, you should have, you should have is said way to often because you played it too safe.

The Journey Begins

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton