College Access & Success

Supporting National FAFSA Challenges with Persistence and Creativity

TV screen with Student Leadership Network and FAFSA Help Session on a slide
Student Leadership Network
March 27, 2024

Figuring out how to pay for college is top of mind for most of our students and families. This year, the financial aid process is more complex due to a late and challenge-filled rollout of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), a crucial piece of the college affordability puzzle. Student Leadership Network’s college access and alumni engagement teams have demonstrated tremendous flexibility this financial aid season, offering additional guidance and emotional support for a process that they, too, are figuring out alongside their college access and success peers.

FAFSA Challenges

This academic year, the federal government released a new FAFSA form that is intended to expand eligibility for aid for more students from low-income households and streamline the application, among other changes. The maximum Federal Pell Grant award, calculated from the FAFSA, is $7,395 for the 2024–25 award year – a crucial source of money to make college affordable for many of our students!

FAFSA’s rollout was delayed by three months, and the initial online form launched with technical glitches and frequent site crashes. Additionally, it prevented parents and guardians without Social Security numbers from completing the form.

While adjustments were finally introduced mid-March, colleges now have a much shorter period to receive information and create financial aid packages for accepted students. Unfortunately, a portion of the first batch of FAFSA data transmitted from the federal government to colleges contained errors and are being withdrawn for corrections. While many colleges have shifted students’ deposit due dates to indicate their commitment to attend an institution, others have kept the traditional May 1 date.

Financial aid counselors work one on with with students at tables
Student Leadership teams and uAspire offered group and individual financial aid sessions

Impact on Students and Families

With a shorter period of time to receive and compare financial information from colleges, families are facing trepidation in the upcoming months. Some students are scrambling to help their parents complete FAFSA forms. Others may soon have to make a decision about enrolling in certain colleges before receiving financial aid packages from all of the schools they’ve applied to.

Bulletin board with two bar charts indicating students' Common App and FAFSA completion rates.
Bulletin board in South Park High School shows FAFSA’s progress last fall, when the form was not yet available.

Student Leadership Network’s Directors of College Counseling (DCCs) already see the impact of FAFSA challenges on the decisions students have had to make so far. The National College Attainment Network reports that high school seniors’ FAFSA submissions are down 38% compared to the same time last year.

Ciara Johnson, Buffalo’s South Park High School DCC shared, “There is so much uncertainty about the financial aid, I’ve counseled students to reevaluate whether options like Early Decision college applications are viable for their family situations, especially if the specific college does not guarantee to meet their full financial need.”

Adapting to Support Financial Aid Challenges

While challenges to financial aid and the college process continue, Student Leadership’s dedicated DCCs and college access and support teams strive to provide technical and emotional support to students. For the elements that they can control, the DCCs continue to host college trips and workshops, provide essay support, and encourage applications during specific times of the year, including October 2023 when New York State waived application fees for all CUNYs, SUNYs, and select private institutions. They also assist students with applying to other financial aid options, including the College Scholarship Service (CSS) Profile and the New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP).

Students aboard a bus get ready to visit colleges.
Students from South Park High School get ready to visit Buffalo State University.
Students with laptops review online financial aid forms, with a director of college counseling guiding them from the front of the room.
Students at East-West School of International Studies begin their NYS TAP applications.

For financial aid, DCCs have increased the amount of individual meetings and support to meet the needs of the families. “Group FAFSA workshops were helpful as introductions to the process last fall. Now we’re seeing that students need more one-on-one meetings to work through their families’ unique circumstances, so we are pivoting to more individual support this spring,” shared Ingrid Selman, Associate Director of CBI. The DCCs also channel their creativity to manage expectations and inject fun into the process, such as celebrating application completions with hot chocolate at Central Park East High School, or a sweet treat during National Oreo Day at TYWLS Manhattan.

Guadalupe, and alumna of Student Leadership Network, reflects on her financial aid session.

Our alumni in college are also facing similar challenges, and the Alumni Engagement team has increased its efforts to connect them with resources to complete their FAFSA renewals. In addition to encouragement from Peer Leaders in the Bridge Through College program, the alumni team hosted uAspire, a longtime partner in helping students navigate financial aid, to provide in-office counseling to college students. Guadalupe, an alumna attending City College, shared, “My mom’s first language is not English, so it’s all up to me. Having these one-on-one sessions with advisors has been really comforting and helpful because someone is here to guide me… and it feels like I’m not alone anymore.”

My mom’s first language is not English, so it’s all up to me. Having these one-on-one sessions with advisors has been really comforting and helpful. It feels like I’m not alone anymore.

Guadalupe, TYWLS alumna attending City College

While the college journey is still a work in progress, our DCCs and college access staff are ready to assist families in evaluating their options when financial aid packages arrive. “Finding the right college with each student, considering their interests, financial situations, and their options are an art and a science,” said Rob Robinson, Senior Managing Director of the CollegeBound Initiative. “Our team is working hard to cross the finish line with our students and celebrate their college decisions in May and June.”

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Brad Ruskin

Board Chair

Brad Ruskin joined Student Leadership Network’s Board of Directors in 2014 and was elected Board Chair in 2023. He believes passionately in equity for all students.

Brad is a Partner at Proskauer Rose LLP, and has tried a significant number of high profile, headline-generating cases to verdict, each one with a complete victory for Proskauer’s clients on issues ranging from so-called “bet-the-company” antitrust challenges to questions of Russian constitutional and military law. He currently serves as a Director of the Legal Aid Society, the nation’s oldest and largest legal services provider to the indigent. He also serves on its Executive Committee. He is a frequently published author of articles, has taught a graduate school class at NYU’s Tisch School, and has testified before legislative and other bodies concerning the administration of justice and court operations in New York State.

Beth Cohen

Senior Managing Director, Growth Strategy and Development

Beth H. Cohen is passionate about connecting people, ideas, and resources to create a more equitable world. Throughout her career, she has successfully managed teams for various impactful organizations to generate over $150M.

For the past decade, Beth has worked to generate support for initiatives that allow young people across the U.S. to gain access to transformative educational opportunities. In September 2022, she joined Student Leadership Network as Senior Managing Director of Growth, Strategy, and Development. Previously, Beth served as Vice President of External Relations at New Classrooms. At New Classrooms, she led the fundraising team to raise over $80M to support the growth and expansion of innovative learning models. Before that, Beth served as Vice President of Leadership Gifts at Teach for America, where she cultivated the organization’s largest national supporters and champions.

Early in her career, Beth focused on international poverty issues. From 2001-2011, she was Director of the Synergos Institute’s Global Philanthropists Circle, a dynamic network of leading philanthropists addressing questions of strategy, meaning, and impact.  Previously, she worked with Catholic Relief Services as Senior Program Manager in Lima, Peru, and as an Internal Program Auditor. As an Internal Program Auditor, she assessed the effectiveness of diverse programs in Africa, Latin America, and the Balkans. Beth also worked as a Change Management Consultant for Andersen Consulting, where she designed and developed training programs for public sector clients in Texas and Puerto Rico.

Beth holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and a joint Master’s degree in Public Affairs and Latin American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, teenage daughters, and fluffy bernedoodle.

Sara Clarke

Chief Operating Officer

Sara C. Clarke is the Chief Operating Officer of Student Leadership Network. As a dedicated TYWLS volunteer and active contributor for 15 years, Sara is delighted to join the organization to apply her collaborative leadership and business acumen to help drive increased scale and impact. She brings over 20 years of experience at the confluence of strategic analysis, project management, and talent development. Sara has a proven commitment to equity and access to opportunity through decades of volunteer leadership focused on literacy, education, and career advancement.

Sara was most recently the Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy, Analysis, and Collaboration at Showtime Networks Inc. She oversaw an adaptable, solution-oriented team, providing competitive analysis and strategic recommendations that helped Showtime exceed its performance targets. Earlier in her career, Sara was a consultant for Accenture in the Media and Entertainment practice. She serves as Co-President of the HBS African-American Alumni Association and has also served on the Board of Directors of the New York Chapter of Women in Cable Telecommunications, chairing the award-winning Prime Access Executive Mentoring program and community service committee.

Sara holds a master’s degree from Harvard Business School in Business Administration, and a bachelor’s degree with honors in Modern Culture and Media from Brown University.

Meg Kayman

Managing Director, Finance and Administration

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Meg is the Managing Director of Finance and Administration and has been with the organization since March 2009.  During that period, the organization has grown from a budget of $3.5 million to $11.0 million. She is part of the Administration Team which is responsible for building infrastructure to support the growing needs of the organization.

Prior to Student Leadership Network, Meg worked in the Financial Services Industry including positions as an equity research analyst at Goldman Sachs and a senior research analyst at General Electric’s Commercial Finance Division.  She also has been an active volunteer with numerous non-profit organizations and a board member of the HIV Law Project from 2005 to 2013.  She holds a B.A. in Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management from Michigan State University and an M.B.A. in Finance from New York University.

Rob Robinson

Senior Managing Director, CollegeBound Initiative

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Robert Robinson is the Senior Managing Director of CollegeBound Initiative (CBI). Prior to joining Student Leadership Network’s central office team in 2008, he served as director of college counseling for CBI at two Brooklyn high schools: Juan Morel Campos and Middle College High School at Medgar Evers College. As a college counselor, Robert worked primarily with first-generation students of color with the goal of preparing them academically and financially for college enrollment. Before joining CBI, Robert served as an Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions at his Alma Mater, New York University (NYU) for nearly four years where he worked specifically with the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) in an effort to increase minority and financially disadvantaged student enrollment.

Robert received both his Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science and his Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration from NYU.  He has also spent a summer in South Africa where he had the opportunity to study higher education and social reform. Robert prides himself on being an active member of his community.  He has volunteered with various non-profit organizations such as Grand Street Settlement and Publicolor. As a member of the New York State Association for College Admissions Counseling (NYSACAC), he has served as a Conference Presenter, Workshop Moderator and Planning Committee member. He has also served as a Summer Institute Mentor where his responsibilities included training new high school and college admissions counselors.

Laura Rebell Gross

Senior Managing Director, Girls’ Education National Team

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Laura Rebell Gross is the Senior Managing Director for the Girls’ Education National Team — comprising The Young Women’s Leadership Schools (TYWLS) and Young Women’s Leadership Network (YWLN) — which serves more than 10,000 students every year. A leader in the education field for decades, Laura implements a vision for developing innovative programs that enrich students’ lives, create experiential leadership opportunities, and build a path to college. Her expertise is widely recognized and she has been honored by Jewish Women International and The Center for the Women of New York. Laura is a national speaker and expert on girls’ public education.

To impact the lives of girls beyond New York City, Laura co-founded the Young Women’s Charter Prep School of Rochester, a YWLN affiliate, and takes the lead in identifying and establishing new school affiliates nationwide. Notably, Laura’s path to leadership started as a public school teacher, including serving as an English teacher at SL Network’s flagship school in East Harlem for six years.  She earned a BA from Tufts University, an MAT from Brown University, and has completed coursework toward an Ed. D. in Curriculum and Teaching at Teacher’s College, Columbia University and the Warner School, University of Rochester.

Jon Roure

Executive VP & Chief Innovation Officer

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Jon Roure is the Executive Vice President & Chief Innovation Officer (CIO) for the Student Leadership Network. As the organization’s first CIO, Jon oversees program planning and implementation across the network. He continues to provide overall leadership to CollegeBound Initiative (CBI) while developing the work streams that support the organization’s strategic planning efforts. This includes increased focus and programming around alumni engagement, research and evaluation, and national expansion via Young Women’s Leadership Network affiliate schools.

Prior to this year, Jon served as the Senior Managing Director of CBI for many years and totals decades of college counseling and management experience in both the higher education and nonprofit sectors. Jon began his career at Columbia University as an Early Intervention Initiative Coordinator for the Double Discovery Program and a College Advisor for Columbia’s Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP). In 2001, Jon was hired by SL Network (formerly Young Women’s Leadership Network) as one of four inaugural counselors to pilot CBI in some of New York City’s Title 1 public high schools.  He served as a CBI director of college counseling at Health Opportunities High School for almost five years where he worked to build a college-going culture with its families, faculty, and staff that helped guide nearly 400 students to college.

Jon holds a B.A. in Sociology (1998) with a minor in Professional Youth Work from Rutgers University and an M.A. in Student Personnel Administration (1999) from Teachers College, Columbia University.  He is a proud alumnus of the Educational Opportunity Fund Program (EOF) at Rutgers University and is an example of what opportunity and access to higher education can do for first generation students.

Lesley Guggenheim

Chief Operating Officer

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Prior to joining Student Leadership Network Lesley spent 15 years supporting school systems, schools, and educators across the country to ensure students in under-resourced schools have access to the excellent education they deserve. She began her career working at – and later leading – the NYC Teaching Fellows (NYCTF) program and later became a Partner and then a Vice President at TNTP (formerly The New Teaching Project). Lesley has a BA in political science from Union College and an MPA in non-profit management from New York University’s Wagner School.

Yolonda Marshall

Chief Executive Officer

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Yolonda Marshall has committed nearly two decades of her life working to ensure that children growing up in underserved communities across the country receive the education they deserve.  She is Student Leadership Network’s first-ever Chief Executive Officer charged with overseeing the management of the organization’s $13M budget, leading the implementation of the organization’s strategic direction, operations and ensuring that the organization is a great place to work and grow.

Prior to joining Student Leadership Network, Mrs. Marshall served as the Deputy Chief Officer, Regional Programs for New Leaders; an organization whose mission is to ensure high academic achievement for all children, especially students in poverty and students of color, by developing transformational school leaders and advancing the policies and practices that allow great leaders to succeed.  In this role, Mrs. Marshall was responsible for managing a team of Executive Directors who led all local program implementation, client engagement and management of 70+ staff across the country.

Mrs. Marshall began her education non-profit career with Teach For America where she held a number of leadership roles on their national development and human assets team, and also served as Interim Executive Director of the Greater Philadelphia region. Prior to joining Teach For America, Mrs. Marshall had a 14 year career with Showtime Networks Inc where she honed her sales and marketing skills, provided strategic direction to the nation’s top cable companies and managed a team of marketing specialists that created and executed comprehensive marketing plans to help launch critically acclaimed and Emmy award winning programming.

Mrs. Marshall received her BS degree in Marketing from Tuskegee University and her MBA with a concentration in Marketing and Media Management from Columbia Business School.

Ann Rubenstein Tisch

Founder and President

A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Ann began a 19-year career in broadcast journalism at WIBW-TV in Topeka, Kansas. She then moved to WCOO-TV in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and later joined NBC Network News as a national correspondent, where she developed a strong interest in educational issues.

After covering dozens of education stories for the network and reading and studying data on single-sex education, she was inspired to create an all-girls inner-city public school to serve disadvantaged families. In 1996, with the unanimous approval of the New York City Board of Education, Ann turned her idea into a reality and opened The Young Women’s Leadership School (TYWLS) of East Harlem – the first public all-girls school to open in the United States in 30 years. Her vision was to provide students growing up in underserved communities a high-quality college preparatory education modeled on the finest private schools.

Ann was educated at Washington University in St. Louis, where she graduated summa cum laude with degrees in psychology and sociology. She currently serves as a trustee on the Board of Washington University in St. Louis. She also serves on the Dean’s Council of The New York University Tisch School of the Arts and is a trustee of the Center for Educational Innovation. She consults with many school districts and parent groups across the country about creating schools similar to TYWLS.

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