Summer Institute
Summer Institute, San Diego
Sunday, June 25, 2000-Friday, June 30, 2000
by Cub Reporter, Leighton Kato

I arrived one day early for the WASFAA Summer Institute 2000. After several hours of being on a plane, I looked forward to a hot shower and a comfortable bed. I awoke early Sunday morning and caught a cab to the University of San Diego. I got there a couple of hours ahead of time and was able to walk around the campus. I met Leonard Walker and we talked a bit about the upcoming week. I agreed to volunteer for being a cub reporter for the WASFAA newsletter.

After settling in the dorm rooms, it was very similar to the good old college days of being at a new place and school as a freshman (most importantly, being away from Mom and Dad). WASFAA gave us some cool back packs and a roommate which really helped with the nostalgia of being a student again. Most importantly, it gave us the opportunity to make not only new connections and network but also make some new friends as well.

The nights were filled with a strange air of familiarity of being a student again. Everyone converged in his or her respective quads to discuss the thing we all have in common, financial aid. We bonded at that level and developed friendships and professional contacts throughout the seminar. We exchanged humorous stories about our financial aid close encounters and talked about our hometowns.

The training sessions were especially helpful for new financial aid folks like myself. I have only been in the business for several months and it was a great overview of everything you ever wanted to know and more about financial aid. Jack Mills probably had the most raves as he dressed and acted as "Verlene." Leonard Walker and Jack Mills did a great job of keeping their segments lively as they did impromptus, jokes and made fun of the audience all in the efforts of keeping everyone awake. Everyone enjoyed all the instructors and the fact that they tried to make it interesting as well as entertaining. For those of you who don't already know, financial aid can be a pretty boring topic to most people.

One of the highlights of the Institute was the afternoon of developing networking and conducting field research. Some visited schools in the area to see how they ran their operations while others chatted about their offices and got great ideas to take back home. Some met new people and discussed financial aid. After speaking with several attendees, it was unanimous that the afternoon was very worthwhile. After a week of training, I feel that we have walked away with more knowledge and a better understanding of how other schools operate. We also got a very thick binder to take home as well as some extra pounds due to all the cafeteria food. Most importantly, we met some great people. I just wanted to let everyone know that I enjoyed meeting all of you and I feel that I made some great new friends from all over the western region. Keep in touch.