The San Joaquin County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (SJCHCC) has announced the date for its 16th Annual Student Financial Aid and College Awareness Workshop. The event will take place on Sunday, October 21, 2018, at the Alex G. Spanos Center located at 1178 Larry Heller Drive on the campus of the University of Pacific in Stockton. Registration starts at 8:00 a.m. The workshop will offer high school seniors, athletes, transfer students, and their parents, free step-by-step assistance filling out the complex Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. The FAFSA opens the doors to access free money for college through Cal Grants as well as other forms of financial aid assistance to pay for college tuition.
“SJCHCC has continued this important program now for 16 years and it continues to grow because our Latino community recognizes the value of higher educational attainment as a means to access opportunity and wealth development,” stated Jesá˝»s Andrade, Chief Executive Officer of SJCHCC. “This event is a great opportunity for parents and students to plan together for their education. We are here to provide the tools to help get all students college-ready and that’s why we’ve partnered with the University of the Pacific to institute bilingual workshops for parents and translation services for several languages right on-site. Economic development is dependent upon an educated workforce; this workshop has been a critical first step to creating long-term success for future business growth in our region."
The forum also features workshops for sixth through eleventh grade and all high school students and their parents so they can get an early start on how to prepare for their future. Classes focus on college preparation, study habits, extra-curricular activities, financial literacy and how important parent participation is to a student’s success. Major sponsors include California Water, University of the Pacific, AT&T, Sandia National Laboratories, State Farm, San Joaquin County WorkNet, Bank of the West, San Joaquin Delta College, Univision 19, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, Golden State Restaurant Group and the San Joaquin County Office of Education. For more information contact the chamber office at 209-943-6117 or email at [email protected].