It’s been a challenging winter for students and their families as well as college admissions, financial aid administrators, and college
access professionals. Thankfully it’s officially spring! I’ve decided to have an optimistic outlook on the “Better FAFSA – Better Future” situation and tell you about what ICAN will be up to in the next few months.
For starters, ICAN Student Success Advisors will start traveling in April for presentations. Jessa will take care of the high schools in western Iowa. Erick and Jessica will do presentations in central Iowa. John Holland will help us out with presentations in NE Iowa. Carrie and Maggie will be visiting high schools in Eastern Iowa, and I (Lupe) will be in Southeast Iowa this spring. We’re all looking forward to talking to the class of 2025 and 2026 about their post-secondary plans. One of the best parts of traveling to communities in Iowa is seeing the amazing school counselors and collaborating with our college and community partners. If you’re interested in partnering with us to bring ICAN programs to a high school near you visit https://www.icansucceed.org/about-ican/partners/partnership-levels/college-and-universities
During the summer months, when we’re not on vacation, we will be updating our website, presentations, and ICAN publications. If you’d like to be a part of our publications, please contact Erick Danielson at [email protected]. He will let you know how you can be in the hands of all the students we talk to during presentations and appointments.
August and September are FULL of ICAN events to welcome back school counselors, students, and parents, as well as introduce ourselves to any new school counselors in our state. The On Track School Counselor Virtual Summit will be held in August and September, along with our New School Counselor Bootcamp; watch your emails for more information on date, time, and registration. Our annual Fall Kick-Off to College Planning will take place September 16-19 with our evening On-Track virtual events. If you’re interested in taking part in the On-Track events this year, please contact Erick Danielson at [email protected] . We’re always looking for school counselors and college administrators to help us out during the week of On-Track. You can learn more about these events at www.ICANsucceed.org/ontrack.
I know we just got done with the ICR Future College & Career Fair in Cedar Rapids, but before you know it, it will be time for the Golden Circle College and Career Fair in Altoona. This year’s Golden Circle event will be on Sunday, September 22, from 1 pm – 3 pm. Registration will open soon, and you can learn more at ICANsucceed.org/goldencircle.
FAFSA 2025-2026 trainings will also be taking place early next academic year. You will be able to get certified or re-certified as a FAFSA professional and help students with the application when it becomes available to file in October. Watch for emails regarding these trainings coming later in the summer.
On behalf of everyone at ICAN we hope everyone has a good spring, a strong finish to the academic year, and an amazing summer.
Lupe Hernandez
Student Success Advisor
Eastern Iowa Student Success Centers-Iowa City & Bettendorf
Direct: (319) 423-7702
[email protected]