Financial Aid Champions Bring College Within Reach
South Granville High School in Granville County Schools
For Elizabeth Navel, a high school counseling coordinator for Cabarrus County Schools, her motivation is crystal clear: making sure students know about their post-secondary possibilities.
Her district is one of 70 schools, districts, or organizations who have received CFNC’s Financial Aid Champion designation, and the whole point is to celebrate those who bring financial aid best practices to the students they serve.
“Ability is not the reason students don’t go to college. The biggest barrier is the perception that college is too expensive, or just not knowing how to manage all the different aspects of an application and the FAFSA,” Navel said. “I just want to make sure students are getting information and getting the opportunity to ask questions.”
The Financial Aid Champion designation celebrates educators for their hard work using some of the best methods for helping students access financial aid.
Participants chose from an easy-to-follow menu of options on the CFNC website focused on proven financial aid strategies.
Students at Early College East High School in Craven County Schools with their CFNC FAFSA Grams. These were handed out to celebrate students who've filled out a FAFSA. Early College East is a 2026 Financial Aid Champion
On average, the traditional high schools that received the designation saw a 7.8 percentage point increase in their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completion rates this year over 2024-25.
Kerri Mullis, a counselor at Elkin High School in Elkin City Schools, said her district has seen big gains this year. According to the CFNC FAFSA Tracker, her district was at 83% as of April 10, up from about 60% at the same time last year.
Mullis describes Elkin High as a small rural school, but this is the second year it’s been named a Financial Aid Champion.
“I take a lot of pride as a school counselor in making sure all our students have a plan,” she said.
Her school starts preparing seniors in the fall, getting them CFNC.org accounts and getting their FAFSA accounts set up so they don’t have to worry about the logistics when it’s time to start applying for colleges and financial aid.
Then throughout the year, Mullis and the Carolina College Advising Corps Next Step Advisor, Adam Chu, host workshops for parents and students, helping them fill out their residency determinations and the FAFSA, and making sure there are virtual options for those who can’t make it in person.
Elkin High School
They also connect students with CFNC resources via Google Classroom to make sure they know what help is out there.
While many of this year’s Financial Aid Champions are schools, some districts received the designation because of their centralized efforts. That is the case for Navel and Cabarrus County Schools. Navel decided that the district needed to hold events for all parents and students because not every school was able to do so.
“I feel like it should just be a community event, and just an opportunity for everyone to get access to us and not be afraid to come and talk to us,” she said. “It’s about making sure every student has access to these opportunities.”
Cabarrus County School Event
John “Fitz” Fitzgerald a Next Step Adviser at Avery County High School — a first-time Financial Aid Champion — said this is his first year at the school and he jumped at the chance to participate when he heard about the Financial Aid Champion designation.
“You know, I just figured it would be beneficial for my students,” he said. “It gave me some motivation to get as many kids exposed to FAFSA and exposed to financial aid, and it just behooved me to do what I thought was best.”
He said he makes sure to have bulletin boards with financial aid information outside heavily trafficked areas of the school, such as the bathrooms and cafeteria. And right outside his office, he has a poster of the school’s FAFSA goal to motivate a competitive spirit.
“Since I’ve been putting all this stuff around, I’ve already had probably 10 or so juniors ask me about timing of college applications and FAFSA and residency determination,” he said.
Avery High School
The Financial Aid Champion designation is meant to encourage schools to try a strategy or two they haven’t used before that is known to make a difference so that all students can access aid that makes paying for college more manageable.
Research from the State Education Assistance Authority (NCSEAA) — the primary sponsor of CFNC — shows that many students are confused about financial aid and how to access it. Some don’t know that grants and scholarships don’t have to be paid back but loans do, often with interest. The effort that schools put forth as part of Financial Aid Champions closes that information gap.
Fitzgerald said he thinks it’s a valuable tool in that regard.
“Overall, I just think it’s a really great program, and I think getting the word out there and getting people talking about things like Financial aid, FAFSA and residency… it’s just good for everyone,” he said.
Go to CFNC.org to see all the 2026 Financial Aid Champions. And as you work on meeting your FAFSA goal for the year, be sure to use CFNC resources like the FAFSA Tracker!