CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated Enrique Martinez’s job title.
Long Beach City College is hosting financial aid workshops every Wednesday until Dec. 13 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. in M-217 at LAC and every Tuesday from 2 to 3 p.m., at TTC in the Financial Aid Office Lobby, in building GG.
The FAFSA application season typically begins in October. However, for the 2026-27 academic year, it launched early on Sept. 24, a week before its traditional target date.
The workshop is intended to help students learn and obtain assistance in submitting financial aid applications, as well as answer any filing questions.
“(The Financial Aid office) assists students in filing their application and also filing it correctly. Most students do it on their own or in high school, and they don’t do it correctly, often running the risk of delayed disbursement,” said Bianca Urzua-Parker, financial aid specialist.
Urzua-Parker emphasized the importance of submitting correctly and attending the workshops for clarification questions.
Many students face similar confusions when applying for aid, even those already attending four year universities. Maria Rodriguez, a CSULB student enrolled at LBCC over the fall semester, prefers to pay out of pocket rather than risk making a mistake with her financial aid application.
“I don’t know much about how the financial aid system works, so I would rather not risk not getting any aid in my last year at Cal State Long Beach, which is way more expensive than community college,” Rodriguez said.
The financial aid office encourages students to file their applications regardless of qualifications.
“Once we receive it, we can look at their personal information and see what they qualify for, and if they don’t qualify, we can see why they don’t and what we can do to fix that or see what other resources we have,” said Urzua-Parker.
In addition to federal aid, the workshop also provides guidance for undocumented students who don’t qualify for FAFSA but may qualify for the California Dream Act.
“We’re talking about federal funds, and then we need somebody like Victoria (Cooper), a person who’s strategically trained on how state funds work, which aren’t necessarily for that population. So for our DREAMers, we do have specialized staff that are in that space to be able to help the students through the CalGrant processes,” said financial aid specialist Trelton Spencer.
Victoria Cooper is a part of the financial aid administration but works directly with CalGrant programs, specifically the Dream Act Services Initiative Grant (DSIG).
“Its our kind of work-study program that DREAM Act students get the opportunity to participate in. So it’s a form of work-study where students get to work on campus,” Spencer said.
Financial aid staff urge students to take advantage of the weekly workshops and submit applications as soon as possible, as FAFSA are awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis.
