AASFAA Conference
Miguel A. Moscoso, Cub Reporter
Accountant Associate, Office of Student Financial Aid, The University of Arizona

I really should not go any further without first and foremost extending my most deep appreciation towards the scholarship committee that gave me the opportunity to enjoy this past AASFAA conference in Sedona. I should also extend my congratulations to the conference site selection and reception committees, I thought it was very well done.

The Sedona AASFAA conference for me was a wonderful learning experience; although my familiarity with the financial aid environment dates from my years as a Federal Work Study student and now as a Accountant Associate for the past four years. It is after this conference that I realized that no; we do not always have the solution to every single problem and that much learning is there for me to do.

The interaction I had with my peers, comparing and contrasting common problems, possible solutions was perhaps the most beneficial for myself and my office. Undoubtedly the benefit I got from every single one of the workshops is priceless. One thing that struck me hard was part of the presentation "The Psychology of Money" by Jenny Allen from Education Finance Group, where one of her comments was that the % of shopping malls built last year was much, much higher than schools being built.

Although some people look at these numbers as informational statistics, for me it is a clear representation on why now more than ever we should allocate all of our working resources to make those students that do attend high school & college as successful as possible. In return they could turn out to be good professionals and in the end turn those statistics around to the benefit of our younger generations.

Nonetheless, the truth should be told, and to my belief the most important thing I brought home from the Sedona conference is the camaraderie displayed by all the participant schools, without mentioning the new friends I made. Needless is to say, I was energized and inspired. AASFAA was very educational and a whole lot of fun. My thanks again to all of you who worked so hard to make it a success. A very special thanks to Catherine King-Todd for making it possible for me be a part of this event.

There is no doubt that students are our first priority, we are diverse but at the same time we are very committed and willing to go that extra step to make a difference in someone's life.

Keep it up AASFAA.