We are thrilled to share that College Now was recently awarded the 2020 Member of the Year Award of Excellence from the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) at their 25th anniversary national conference!

The Member of the Year Award of Excellence is an annual award presented by NCAN that recognizes the work of a college access and success program to fulfill NCAN's mission of building, strengthening, and empowering communities and stakeholders to close equity gaps in postsecondary attainment for all students.

In recognizing College Now, NCAN cited College Now's long-standing commitment to students throughout Northeast Ohio and the organization's early innovation as being the first college access organization of its kind in the country. NCAN also emphasized College Now's ability to quickly adapt to virtual advising and supports to continue to provide students with services during the COVID-19 pandemic. NCAN called College Now's response to the pandemic "nothing short of outstanding, demonstrating the agility of the team and a tremendous commitment to their mission" and described College Now as "an organization that has withstood the test of time and continues to be an important part of the fabric of Cleveland."

You can read more about College Now's recognition and the 2020 Member of the Year Award of Excellence on NCAN's website.

The College Now Resource Center opened for limited, in-person appointments on Tuesday, September 9, after being closed for all in-person clients since mid-March.

The Resource Center will now be open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. as long as it remains safe to do so.

Clients can make an appointment using College Now's Bookings platform. Appointments will be one hour long and all computers, desks, and other equipment will be disinfected between each appointment.

Virtual appointments are still available and can continue to be made using Bookings.

To ensure the health and safety of our staff, clients, and the community, College Now staff members will not see anyone, even if they have a scheduled appointment, if they are displaying illness symptoms of any kind or refuse to follow the health and safety protocols established by College Now, which can be viewed on College Now's website.

Students of all ages, their families, and the community can visit the Resource Center for free to consult with our Resource Center advisors on all aspects of the college-going process, including applications, developing a postsecondary plan, FAFSA and financial aid support, scholarships, student loan management, and more. Visiting or meeting virtually with the Resource Center is always free.

The Resource Center is located in College Now's downtown office at 1500 West 3rd Street, Suite 125, Cleveland, OH 44113. If you have any questions, please reach out to ResourceCenter@collegenowgc.org or call 216.241.5587. You can also text the Resource Center by texting the word TASSEL to 216.208.5866.

Earlier this month, College Now partnered with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections to host a virtual voting information session for College Now students of all ages, their families, College Now staff, mentors, and community members.

During this event, Cleveland Cavaliers in-game host Ahmaad Crump led the session by sharing information about why voting is important - and how voting can directly affect students. Ahmaad was joined by Erich Stubbs of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, who provided information about how to register to vote, the different types of voting (such as early voting, absentee voting, and in-person voting), and more. Erich also answered audience questions at the conclusion of the event.

You can watch a recording of this informative session on College Now's YouTube channel, which also features a special message from Cleveland Cavaliers Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff!

As a reminder, the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections is in need of 6,000 essential workers to ensure a fair, transparent, accurate, and bi-partisan election this November. Click here to learn more about their needs, including how to sign up to be an election worker.

The Cleveland Browns Foundation, in partnership with College Now Greater Cleveland, has made it their mission to help local high-school students pursue their dreams of a college education through the Marion Motley Scholarship Program.

Applications are being accepted through the end of the day TODAY, September 30.

The Cleveland Browns Foundation Marion Motley Scholarship Program is an exciting opportunity for a motivated student whose long-term career goal could include working in education or for a professional sports organization in any of a variety of capacities.

The Cleveland Browns Foundation and College Now annually seek two deserving students who are on track to graduate from high school in 2021 to receive a four-year, renewable scholarship in the amount of $2,500 per year. Now in its tenth year, the partnership between the Cleveland Browns Foundation and College Now has awarded more than $280,000 of scholarship funds to 26 students.

The Cleveland Browns Foundation Marion Motley Scholarship was named after one of the Browns’ 16 Pro Football Hall of Famers, former halfback Marion Motley.

One of the first four African-Americans to integrate professional football in 1946, Motley overcame many obstacles on his way to 3,024 yards and 31 touchdowns in four championship seasons in the AAFC, and another 1,688 yards and eight touchdowns in five years in the NFL. Motley was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968 and the Cleveland Browns’ Ring of Honor in 2010.

College Now is ready to help students and their families have a strong school year by offering free virtual Key Events! These events will give students and families a chance to hear from College Now advisors on everything from how to have a strong senior year to college admissions during COVID-19 and more.

Virtual events will continue throughout the school year and are open to students and families in all districts. To review College Now's upcoming virtual events and register for sessions, visit College Now's website. Events are listed on the calendar at the bottom of the page.

Time flies - the 2021-2022 FAFSA form is almost here! Starting October 1, students and families can complete the FAFSA to apply for federal financial aid for the 2021-2022 school year. Completing the FAFSA creates the opportunity for students to receive FREE money for college – money that does NOT need to be paid back. 

Students and families can get started before October 1 by first creating an FSA ID at https://fsaid.ed.gov. Both students and parents will need to create induvial FSA IDs. The FSA ID will allow students and parents to log-in to the Federal Student Aid website and can serve as a legal signature. Students and families can contact their College Now advisor or the College Now Resource Center today for help setting up an FSA ID and with questions about the FAFSA.