In the Spotlight:
Julie Cooper, RMASFAA Secretary
 In a far off land of earthquakes and brown outs, there lived a woman who for some reason decided that school was a wonderful place to stay and stay and stay. So if you love school and you never want to leave…what kind of job do you go for….student services, ok…but…well, naturally financial aid….cause you never leave financial aid once you're there! So how do I compare with the woman of my story…well, I went to college, discovered financial aid, took a really long time to get my BA but squeezed in marriage and two kids. So by thirty we had two kids, three degrees and no jobs! Then we moved to Kansas, so we could go to school some more and re-discover federal financial aid. After we finished up our teaching degrees, we moved to Salina and taught for several years. Personal computers came bursting onto the scene and my husband decided to change his job…he changed from teaching English to writing computer software for schools and I went back to school with our two sons. So there were three of us in school, with two of us in college at the same time! This time I did my 'apprenticeship' in Emporia State University's financial aid office. I moved on after getting my masters from ESU to the University of Kansas Student Financial Aid Office and stayed there ten years. Just so I could sample the atmosphere of a new school I moved to Johnson County Community College four and one half years ago and they gave me a new job, this time as the director of the financial aid office. Lucky for me my husband and our two sons have moved with me and beyond. And yes, I can truthfully say that grandchildren, Olivia (7) and Ben (4) are more fun but not any cheaper than our two sons were! So while I've worked in financial aid for over fifteen years, I've had thirty-six years worth of experience with it!!! Due to financial aid I was able to pay for several college degrees, and because of financial aid I've met and worked with dedicated, compassionate and hard-working individuals in my institutions, in my state and region as well as outside RMASFAA's region. I've had the opportunity to learn, as well as teach, gain as well as give. What more could you ask for?
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