On Saturday, Rep. Pete Aguilar hosted his second annual Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and College Affordability Workshop at San Bernardino Valley College. The session, which included presentations from Patricia Aguilera of Cal State San Bernardino and Fermin Ramirez, Financial Outreach Coordinator for San Bernardino Valley College, addressed the FAFSA application as well as additional information for parents and guardians with children navigating the student loan process for the first time. Since taking office in 2015, Rep. Aguilar has held multiple constituent service events that focused on college affordability, jobs, assistance for seniors, U.S. Service Academies and more. Rep. Aguilar’s office also holds monthly Mobile Office Hours in Rancho Cucamonga to help residents who need assistance accessing federal agencies.

“College affordability is one of the most pertinent issues Inland Empire families – and all Americans – face today. In addition to creating and supporting legislation to ease this increasing financial burden, it’s my responsibility to ensure San Bernardino County families have access to information on federal tools, grants or loans,” said Rep. Aguilar. He added, “I wouldn’t have been able to afford college without federal assistance, so I know how important it is to offer workshops and resources like this.”

College affordability is a personal issue to Rep. Aguilar, who was only able to afford college with the help of a Pell Grant and through working part-time jobs. In his first term, Rep. Aguilar cosponsored numerous pieces of legislation to improve college affordability, including measures that would make two years of community college free for all Americans and to expand access to Pell Grants. Rep. Aguilar wrote the Grace Period Alleviation (GPA) Act, which would ease the financial burden on students repaying their federal student loans. The GPA Act can be read in full here.

The federal deadline for the FAFSA application is March 2, 2017. If you have questions on the FAFSA application or student loan process and were unable to attend the workshop, please call Rep. Aguilar’s office at 909-890-4445. Please visit https://www.aguilar.house.gov to stay up to date on future workshops and events.

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