On Nov. 9, Caroline Moala stepped in as Aragon’s new financial aid and scholarship advisor, after former financial aid advisor Melissa Aliu pursued a new career as a financial aid assistant at Cañada College.
Moala’s prior career played a role in preparing and encouraging her for this current job. She says, “I was the temporary financial aid assistant at College of San Mateo for two and a half years. It inspired me to come here and help out at a high school level.”
Compared to her past experiences, Moalda believes each age group and school type presents nuances. She says, “There is a difference between college financial aid and high school financial aid. I think that atmospheres are different between adults and students, but both are eager for help. College students have more direction, it’s more up to them whether they want to pursue aid or not.”
Entering the job in the middle of college application season, Moala tells, “As advisors we try to push our students more towards higher education. When I was in high school, there was less initiative to bother about financial aid in college. Especially this time of the year — it’s only November. Usually, students come in closer to right before graduation. [On my first day], I received four students, including one who came in for an interview for a scholarship. So students here are coming in pretty early.”
One common misconception students have, Moala believes, is that financial aid eligibility is based purely on income. She explains, “Some students think their parents make too much, but aid is not merely based on income. It’s based on how many family members are in a household, parent’s high school education level — the way that FAFSA (Free Application for Student Aid) calculates eligibility is not just income based.”
Thus, she further encourages students to take advantage of scholarship opportunities, saying, “You don’t lose anything from applying but thirty minutes of your time.”
Moala holds aspirations for students at Aragon as well as personal goals. She says, “My hopes for the students is to motivate and inspire and push them into higher education. Also, for myself, I love dealing with the challenges. It is more challenging for me to try different experiences and better my knowledge.”
As Moala came from College of San Mateo to Aragon, she hopes to challenge herself in this different environment. She says, “Sometimes I get too comfortable being in the same place. Being able to battle that and think about what more I can do for a variety of high school students is really exciting for me.”
