October 3rd was an exciting night for Philadelphia; The School District of Philadelphia held its 4th annual FAFSA Challenge Kickoff from 4:00PM to 7:00PM.

4:00PM- Both parents and their children entered the School District of Philadelphia in swarms for one reason: FAFSA submission. One of the most important nights of the year, people have gathered around to learn about the FAFSA process and its details.

4:42PM-Party music wafted in people’s ears as they glanced around the art on the walls to the multiple chairs dowin the center. Multiple tables that provided their resources were: SDOP’s Administration, GEARUP, Salle Mae, PFCU, PHEAA, Philadelphia Futures, 12+, RaiseMe, PA Immigration & Citizenship Coalition, and The Student Loan Doctor LLC. Of course, us Promise Corps members floated around the area to help out!

There was more to the event than just learning about FAFSA. There were games like Quizzo hosted by the Sixers Dunk Squad, Scramble, and even dancing. All to lighten the mood. Shout out to DJ Nash for the amazing music! Plus, the light refreshments that were provided such as pizza, soda, water, and Insomnia Cookies.

5:00PM- Noticeable speakers were Dr. Brooks who told her life story on continuing her education career. The first step was completing the FAFSA application. She expressed her concerns about being a parent and how her daughter, who was in her sophomore year in college, and how she was going to help her daughter that weekend. “Parents,” Dr. Brooks said. “Students, please take advantage of this process.” It was a good feeling knowing that everyone was needed during this complex process.

Dr. William Hite, the Superintendent of the Philadelphia schools, gave his gratitude to the parents and students who came. “You don’t have to know all the answers,” He spoke. “But what you can do is find the answers. That is what all of our College and Career coaches are available for.”

5:15PM- As the event began to wind down, Promise Corps members had time to reunite, catch up on the stories from the other schools. Us Promise Corps from School of the Future in particular, had the chance to coordinate from other programs to speak to our students for our Speaker Week coming in January of 2020. We even had the time to interact with other parents and taken some silly pictures!

-Anatenyah Johnson, College and Career Coach- School of the Future