Skip to main content
News and Updates About Federal Financial Aid & the FAFSA: Students | Practitioners

Policy

We advocate for equitable financial aid and higher education systems.

Policy

Policy Priorities


The policy team works with students, practitioners, and uAspire advisors to identify challenges students face accessing financial aid and develop advocacy priorities each year.

Policy Fellowship


Through a paid fellowship program, uAspire supports college students to build advocacy skills to change financial aid systems to be more equitable, simple, and transparent. uAspire’s fellowship program is designed for college students who have experienced navigating financial aid systems while pursuing their degree.

Over the course of a semester, fellows develop the knowledge and skills to work with those in power to influence policy. This includes meeting with government officials, writing and submitting press materials, and researching policy issues.

Eligibility

Applicants must be college undergraduates who are 18+ years old. Students must be Pell Grant recipients or hold DACA/TPS status, and be full or part-time students with at least one semester of credit attending college in California, Massachusetts, or New York. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States.

uAspire is committed to building a policy fellows cohort with diverse lived and college-attending experiences that equip our team to advance student-centered change in higher education policy. Candidates are curious about policymaking, outspoken about their ideas, passionate about making change, and committed to issues of equity in higher education!

Compensation

$750/month stipend for completion of program projects.

Applications

Applications for the Fall 2025 program will open in mid-April 2025. Fill out this interest form if you would like to receive an email when the application opens. 

Policy Fellowship

Student Fellows

Naomie Alamour
Naomie Alamour

John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Afua Asare
Afua Asare

Harvard College

Blanca Godoy
Blanca Godoy

University of Southern California

Yahaira Guerrero
Yahaira Guerrero

Santa Monica College

Laura McNair
Laura McNair

Boston College

Chassidy Robert
Chassidy Robert

John Jay College of Criminal Justice

"We see firsthand the obstacles students across the country face affording college. We experience the problems. We know the needed solutions.”

Publications

Chutes & Ladders: Falling Behind and Getting Ahead with the Simplified FAFSA
A Pilot to Implement Universal Financial Aid Application Completion in California
Opportunities & Challenges of Universal FAFSA
No Way to Pay
Beyond the College Bill
Decoding the Cost of College

The Latest

Simplification for a Better Education

Simplification for a Better Education
Policy
Navigating Financial Aid Alone- A low-income first-generation student of color perspective on Univer

Navigating Financial Aid Alone- A low-income first-generation student of color perspective on Univer
Policy
Chutes and Ladders: Falling Behind and Getting Ahead with the Simplified FAFSA

Chutes and Ladders: Falling Behind and Getting Ahead with the Simplified FAFSA
Blogs

Policy Team

Melissa Clarke
Melissa Clarke

New York Policy Director

Parshan Khosravi
Parshan Khosravi

California Policy Director

Femi Stoltz
Femi Stoltz

Massachusetts Policy Director

Anika Van Eaton
Anika Van Eaton

Vice President of Policy