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Wednesday, February26,2014
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GSA: Community provides resources
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with the teens,” Morgan said.
“They are what makes my job
awesome.”
In fact, because The Living
Room is a youth-centered orga
nization, his first interview for
the position was conducted by
the teenagers involved in the pro
gram, he said.
Morgan says his main job is
to provide a link between the
teens and adults. The Living
Room focuses on helping teens in
Clackamas County, he said.
“[We] provide a service that
wasn’t being provided out here,”
Morgan said.
“The Living Room is just about
to start their middle school out
reach program,” Blixhayn said.
Enrique Solama, co-chair of
the youth advisory council, has
been involved in The Living
LeBron planned last year’s
summit as part of her Oregon
City High School senior project.
Currently she is working on a
transfer degree at CCC focused
on business.
“I plan to transfer to PSU for
non-profit management,” LeBron
said.
Already she helps coordinate
the Wednesday youth drop-in
activities for The Living Room in
Oregon City.
Jefferson Morgan, program
coordinator, has worked with
teens for a long time in various
organizations, but has only been
the project coordinator for TLR
since January 2014.
“Office stuff is alright, but I’d
rather spend time hanging out
Room since he himself showed
up as a drop-in when he was 14.
Now he helps facilitate the GSA
summit.
But what o f the teens that
“age-out” o f The Living Room by
turning 21?
Kat Taylor, one such individu
al, came back to volunteer. She is
also involved in creating YOTA
(youth of transitioning age) for
young adults 21 and over to con
tinue having a safe environment
after they leave The Living Room.
According to Blixhavn, Taylor
is one of the first to have actually
“aged-out” of the program, so this
is new territory for them;
“Currently, the only options
available are to volunteer or get
elected to the board,” Blixhavn
said.
for life. Students are able to learn
how to borrow-less, borrow smart
and repay their Ioans efficiently.
I he nonprofit has created articles,
videos, lessons, infographics and
comics that help students digest
information about student loans
on its website.
SALT specializes in U S sui
7%<? college has been advertising a program called
S A L T on Facebook, MyClackamas and school
email. Why should I care?
_ ..
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has just partnered with American
EditOi-in-Ghisf
profit, to bring a program called
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Vriackamas Community
College students may have
already seen that the college
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iy is SALT?
, SALT is a free online infbr-
mational outlet that is designed
to give students financial skills
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dent loans. I he> offer student loan
repayment counselors who work
with students one-on-one the
counselors work over the phone
seven days a week with students
to help manage loan payments
Although SALT is focused on
loans which students take out for
tour-year college, the website also
has resources for students at com
munity colleges, fliey offer les
sons on how to get read} for trans
ferring to a four-year university
and where to find scholarships and
jobs through their free database.
According to Ailesandra
Lanza, a spokeswoman for ASA,
SALT has partnered with 250
higher education institutions and
PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY
G rhduA tc S cho o l, ò fi É d u c a tio n
Your chance to
exploit’ our 50+
graduale
programs in:
welcome to the
GSA
summit
has over 500,000 cuneht students
and alumni w ho are members of
SALT
“1 think it is very crucial to try
and educate students early,*’ said
Lanza. “We want to teach students
how to live like students now so
they don’t have to once they are
out of school.'’
In the 18 years that Lanza has
worked with ASA the saddest and
most common thing she has seen
with regards to students is not
how much they are borrowing but
the ways students are managing
their loans without help, she said.
Lanza also sees a lot of students
not taking advantage of scholar
ships, grants and federal loans,
which in many cases will have
lower interest rates than private
SALT through social media,
smart device applications and
online they will be able to
reach out to students before
they need help with their loans.
Dustin Hare an ¿dusing
ialist for CCC, explained
SALT is another avenue to
get information out to students
Although Clackamas’ financial
aid office does reach out io
many students, SALT will help
get that same information out
to a larger and more diverse
audience, he said
“We are working to be pro
active,” said Bare “We want to
help students understand finan
cial literacy."
Navigating financial aid
options may be daunting but
loans and a variety o f paym ent
options.
. . • . ,
cult. STYlJ offers a roadmap
“We are teaching them how to
budget,’’ Lanza said. “It is very
crucial to set them up for success
once they are out of school ”
Lanza hopes that by spreading
____________________________
■
It doesn’t have to be diffi
to understanding the pitfalis,
byways and best routes to pay
ing for higher education, tai
lored to each student
FINISH YOUR DEGREE
«
BBH
Graduate School of Education
OPEN HOUSE
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Noon— 2pm | Room 296/298
Smith Memorial Student Union
1825 SW Broadway,
Portland, OR 97207
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Graduate Schoo,
of Education
PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY
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