Dingell Joins The Sallie Mae Fund to Host Free Workshop on Paying for College

Press Release

Yesterday, Congressman John Dingell hosted a free educational workshop on saving, planning and paying for college for local high school students and their parents at Henry Ford Community College. Dingell hosted the workshop in cooperation with The Sallie Mae Fund, a charitable organization sponsored by Sallie Mae dedicated to increasing access to higher education for American students.

Experts from The Sallie Mae Fund spoke to audience on a wide array of issues during the workshop, including the college admissions process, how to save for college, the financial aid process, types of financial aid and scholarships. High school seniors who attended were entered into a drawing for a $500 college scholarship that was awarded at the workshop. The winner of the drawing is Lucas Kuzala, a senior at Trillium Academy.

Dingell spoke to the students, "The Pell Grant is just one tool students have to find ways to afford a university, college, or community college education. Our Nation will not turn the corner on this recession unless we have an educated workforce that can compete for the jobs of the 21st century. I encourage you to ask questions of the Sallie Mae professionals here and use their knowledge and expertise to your advantage and help you access higher education. As President Obama put it, to restore our economy to health we must "out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build" our competitors. I will continue to fight for adequate resources and programs like The Sallie Mae Fund to ensure students who want to obtain a college education can afford to do so."

The Sallie Mae Fund, a charitable organization sponsored by Sallie Mae, achieves its mission -- to increase college access for America's students -- by supporting programs and initiatives that help open doors to higher education. The Fund also supports employee volunteerism and community service in the communities where Sallie Mae employees live and work. The Sallie Mae Fund's free saving, planning and paying for college workshop helps families navigate the process of preparing for and funding higher education. Since 2001, The Fund has presented more than 1,600 workshops to 234,000 students and parents. For more information, visit www.salliemaefund.org.

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