The White House and the US Department of Education (ED) are announcing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Week of Action on April 15-19.
Think you don’t need to submit a FAFSA? Think again!
The FAFSA form is an application that students and families need to complete to apply for federal student aid, such as federal grants, work-study funds, and loans. Completing and submitting the FAFSA form is free, and it gives students access to the largest source of financial aid to help pay for higher education.
The Better FAFSA is simplified, redesigned, and streamlined. It is faster and easier to fill out, with most students and families completing it in less than 15 minutes. It ensures 665,000 more students will receive Federal Pell Grants to pay for college. Additionally, more than 1.7 million more students will receive the maximum Pell Grant.
To learn about Myths vs Facts about the FAFSA, click on the following links:
F.L.Y. Academy: Learn about the basics of money and its impact on your life with FLY Academy! The FLY Initiative’s empowering foundational components are a culturally responsive curriculum, experiential learning through innovation, and family and community engagement. The FLY Initiative is a first-class seat to the limitless skies of hopeful futures and financial stability. FLY-ing with us positions participants on a flight path to systemic change. Equipping this next generation with top-flight financial knowledge, skills, and tools, FLY’s passengers will embark on a real-life-in-real-time experiential flight path in which the destination is Opportunity: financial wellness and stability, worthy employment, safe housing, advanced education, wholesome food security, affordable healthcare, and corporate and political leadership advancement.
Monday-Thursday, April 15-18 from 10:00am-3:00pm at Roger Williams Middle School
Roger Williams University: Your student is invited to join us for a visit at Roger Williams University! Students will go on a walking tour of the campus and then have an opportunity ask various RWU students any questions they have about college life in a student panel discussion. Afterward, students will be treated to lunch on campus.
Tuesday, April 16th from 10:00am-12:30pm.
The Scientific Method with Center for Dynamic Learning: During this program, youth will explore math, physics, arts, chemistry, and earth sciences through fun and exciting, hands-on experiments with the support and guidance of knowledgeable educators. It will be messy and it will surely be lots of fun!
Monday-Thursday, April 15-18 from 9:00am-2:30pm at The Center for Dynamic Learning.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Oct. 31, 2023)–Are you looking for an exciting mission driven career? Look no further than Onward We Learn! We have several full-time and part-time positions available.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Aug. 24, 2022): Onward We Learn, the college access nonprofit previously known as the College Crusade of Rhode Island, applauds today’s announcement by President Biden to forgive up to $10,000 of federal student loans and up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients.
The president’s plan also extends the payment freeze once more until the end of the year. This erasure of debt and freeze will substantially help Rhode Islanders who attended college as low-income and/or first-generation students.
“Thousands of Onward We Learn alumni had no choice but to incur student debt as they pursued their college dreams. For most, such debt impedes their capacity to achieve economic prosperity and accumulate the assets needed to generate wealth,” said Onward We Learn President and CEO Andrew Bramson. “Today’s cancellation will provide some much-needed relief for these borrowers, which in turn will help the Rhode Island economy.
“Today’s announcement must shine a bright light on how broken the higher education finance system is in this country. Beyond today’s cancellation of debt, the federal government must prioritize structural changes to make higher education more affordable. This work cannot wait another day,” Bramson said.
Important policy changes Bramson and the organization advocate for include meaningful efforts to control the ever-rising costs of college; expanding Pell Grants for high-need borrowers; eliminating interest on federal loans; developing more innovative repayment plans; and streamlining loan forgiveness for public service.
“Rhode Island is fortunate to have a congressional delegation that understands and appreciates the burden that student debt creates, especially among young adults,” Bramson said. “Onward We Learn looks forward to partnering with our delegation to seek solutions that action-oriented and will benefit those with the greatest need.”
Onward We Learn supports more than 4,000 students in middle school, high school and college each year with one-on-one advising and year-round programs that focus on academic enrichment, social and emotional development, career education, and postsecondary preparation to help them become the first in their families to earn a college degree. Middle schoolers who attend traditional public schools and select public charter schools and independent schools in Providence, Cranston, Pawtucket, Central Falls, Woonsocket and West Warwick are eligible to enroll in Onward We Learn. Learn more at www.onwardwelearn.org.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (June 29, 2022): The state’s most comprehensive college readiness program, formerly known as the College Crusade of Rhode Island, announced today it has changed its name and brand identity to Onward We Learn.
The announcement follows an eight-month process that engaged over 125 students, staff, alumni, parents and community partners, and signals a renewed commitment to helping thousands of Rhode Island students each year build a personalized pathway to a more successful future.
“We believe that this new identity better aligns with our mission, vision and values as the state’s preeminent college access nonprofit. Our mission is the same, yet Onward We Learn reflects our continued work to be more inclusive and to meet students where they are, supporting them on their journeys to be lifelong learners, successful individuals and, in many cases, the first in their families to attend and complete college,” said President and CEO Andrew Bramson.
The vast majority – about 70% – of students in College Crusade have a traditional four-year college experience. By emphasizing lifelong learning and forward progress, the new name recognizes the changing postsecondary landscape and validates the experiences of hardworking students who instead pursue alternative pathways such as apprenticeships, certificates and stackable credentials.
“The data is strong that college continues to be the most effective path to social and economic mobility, especially for students of color. As a student-centered organization that seeks to include all perspectives and experiences, we want to make room for many different pathways as we look to the future,” Bramson said. “Students have a range of postsecondary options, and we want to celebrate pathways that work for them; we must transition from the notion that the classic college experience is an all-or-nothing proposition. The most powerful word in our new name is ‘onward,’ which signifies mobility and trajectory. When you think about college or other postsecondary options, think about Onward We Learn.”
The organization, founded in 1989 as the Children’s Crusade for Higher Education, engages students in urban school districts starting in middle school and provides college readiness, career exploration and academic support programming through high school and into college. Advisors work hands-on within schools and after-school programming.
“This relaunch marks an exciting new chapter for an organization that has been making a difference for Rhode Island students and families for more than three decades,” said Meg Geoghegan, chair of the College Crusade board of directors. “Our impact is felt by the students who receive academic support and college counseling, and as a result become first-generation graduates from competitive universities across the country. It is felt by our families, who access assistance with financial aid and other support services that set their children up for success. And it is felt by our state, which reaps the benefits of this community of talented, innovative and energetic young leaders.”
College Crusade supports more than 4,000 students in middle school, high school and college each year with one-on-one advising and year-round programs that focus on academic enrichment, social and emotional development, career education, and postsecondary preparation to help them become the first in their families to earn a college degree. Middle schoolers who attend traditional public schools and select public charter schools and independent schools in Providence, Cranston, Pawtucket, Central Falls, Woonsocket and West Warwick are eligible to enroll in College Crusade. Learn more at www.onwardwelearn.org.
We recently celebrated our Class of 2022 Honorific Program
graduates with a dinner and presentation of certificates and stoles. We thank
Harold M. Horvat, president, chief executive officer and chairman of the board
at Centreville Bank, for joining us.
The graduates are headed to Bentley University, Boston
University, Brown University, College of the Holy Cross, Emory University,
Middlebury College, Northeastern University, Providence College, Rhode Island
College, Salve Regina University, University of New Haven and University of
Rhode Island. Congratulations to all!
