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Explore my work over the course of my writing career.

From financial aid to mental health in college, I tackle a variety of topics from the brand's voice and tone.

Sallie Mae •

Know what you owe and start paying off your student loan debt

While you’re in school, you may not be keeping a close eye on your student loans (though you should). But when you’re in your senior year, graduating, or in your grace/separation period, it’s more important than ever to know what you owe. Your loans’ principal and interest payments are going to be due before you know it. Here are tips for organizing your loan information so it’ll be easier to keep track of when payments are due and how much they’ll be.
Many students have a combination of federal...
Sallie Mae •

After your student loan is approved

First, a certification request is sent to your school to verify your Sallie Mae student loan. This ensures that your requested loan amount isn’t more than the necessary school-related costs. All schools have different processes for certification—some certify daily, weekly, biweekly, etc. Most schools only certify 30 days before the enrollment period begins.
Usually, no actions are required from you or your cosigner during this time. We’ll keep you posted so you always know where we are in the pr...
Sallie Mae •

How to have the college talk with your family

College Prep Kitchen by Sallie was created to team up students and their families for the college talk—and there’s no better place to do that than in the kitchen. Now, it’s your turn! Haven’t talked about scholarships or the FAFSA® just yet? Where to go to school or what things to keep in mind when you decide? We’re giving you the ingredients to dish out the college convo from your own kitchen. Chat through your plan where you feel most comfortable—right in your own home. Cooking isn’t required,...
Sallie Mae •

How Much Financial Aid Can I Get for College?

Financial aid can vary depending on the type that you receive—grants, scholarships, and federal student loans have different average amounts.
In the 2022-23 academic year, College Board reported that full-time equivalent (FTE) undergraduate students received financial aid packages averaging $15,480 per student. That breaks down to $10,680 in grants, $3,860 in federal loans, $850 in education tax credits and deductions, and $90 in Federal Work-Study (FWS).footnote 1
College Board also found that...
Sallie Mae •

Choose the Right College for You with These 5 Tips

Before you run to a school’s admissions site and look at the criteria for you to get in, start with the basics.

1. Talk to family members and friends who have been through the process before. They could have valuable insight into what you should look for in a school based on their college experiences.

2. Jot down all of your wants from a school. There’s nothing wrong with having a college wish list! Want a big campus feel? Need to be within an hour of your hometown? Love having D1 sports teams
Sallie Mae •

10 Things You Shouldn’t Forget When Choosing a School

Things to keep in mind when picking a school

You might know exactly what you’re looking for. Great food, good housing options, an even better cost—but is that all you want? There are so many elements of a school that people don’t think about until they’re on campus. Get ahead of the curve and think about these overlooked college aspects before Decision Day.

Here’s what you should keep in mind when picking your school

#1: First-year retention rates. You’ve spent so much time planning how you’l
Sallie Mae •

What is a gap year?

How to plan & pay for a gap year

Taking a gap year usually isn’t something you wake up and decide to start immediately—it takes time, planning, and money to support you through it.

Think about school. If you’ve been accepted into college, reach out to your school and talk to an admissions counselor about your deferral options for however much time you need.

Organize your time in chunks. What will you do in the summer months after graduating from high school? Work? Travel? Rest? What will you
Sallie Mae •

Benefits of community college

As the ticket price of college is going up, more people are choosing community college. If you’re thinking about becoming a community college student, here are 7 pros you can look forward to.


#1: It can be more affordable

Community college is known for being cheaper than a traditional college, especially when it comes to tuition. College Board reported that the annual tuition for community college is about 1/3 the tuition for a four-year college.footnote 1 However, tuition isn’t the only thi
Sallie Mae •

Going to College Far Away from Home

If you’re anything like me, you might want to get out of town for college—like, ASAP. Going to college 2,000 miles away from home and not knowing a single soul was exciting for me. It can seem daunting, but it can also feel like a fresh start. However, making the big move means that there are extra things to prepare for that you might not have to think about if you were staying local. If you’re planning on going to college far from home, here are some things you need to plan for.

Of course, the
Sallie Mae •

Trade school vs College

You may have already decided that you’re going to keep doing the school thing after high school—but what kind? A traditional college isn’t the only kind of school out there. Trade schools are a thing too! Before you decide what path is best for you, learn what the differences are between college and trade school.

First things first: what’s college and what’s trade school? The phrases are common enough, but not always talked about in depth. College refers to schools that offer academic degrees i
Sallie Mae •

College Application FAQs

It’s college application season! This can be an exciting time (and a confusing one, too!) for a lot of people. There’s a lot that goes into a college app. Whether you have it all figured out or need a few pointers, here’s the rundown on some college application FAQs.

What should I look for in a school?

You’ll want to go to a school that suits your academic needs and makes you happy, right? Here are some things to keep in mind when picking schools you think you’ll thrive at:
• Majors and minors
Sallie Mae •

Scholarship Guide

Once you’ve found the scholarships you want to apply for, make sure you keep track of all the requirements. Scholarships typically have certain things you need to do to be considered for the award—filling out short answer questions or an essay, getting a letter of recommendation, or submitting test scores are common. Try these tips to keep up with your to-dos.
• Start your applications ASAP. Giving yourself as much time as possible to apply will give you some wiggle room to get all your submissi
Sallie Mae •

When is the FAFSA® due?

If you’re thinking about applying to college this year, listen up—you’ll want to know about this.

Before you crank out those college apps, one of the most important applications every college-bound person should fill out is the FAFSA® (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). What’s even more important than filing the FAFSA® is filing it on time. Punctuality is key with the FAFSA®. With new date changes for the 2024-2025 academic year, here are some things you should know about submitting the
Sallie Mae •

How does the FAFSA® Work?

Pro tip? Fill out the FAFSA® no matter what. Why? The FAFSA®, or the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is the key to getting all kinds of financial aid for school. We’re talking federal, state, and school aid. Even if you think you won’t get any aid, it’s still worth applying (for free!) and seeing what happens. Here’s what you need to know.

How the FAFSA® calculates your financial need


In order to find out how much aid you need for school, the FAFSA® uses your and your parents’ fina
Sallie Mae •

Tips on How To Avoid These Common FAFSA® Mistakes

2. Waiting to fill out the FAFSA® until you file your taxes

The FAFSA® used to require a bunch of tax forms and paperwork, and it was often confusing for students and families. Some would accidentally over- or underestimate their household finances, unnecessarily disqualifying them from receiving aid—not anymore.

The new FUTURE Aid Direct Data eXchange (FADDX) makes the tax retrieval process super easy. All you need to do is check a box that allows the FAFSA® access to your tax information, an
Sallie Mae •

8 Ways to De-Stress During Winter Break

You’ve almost made it to the best part of the semester—winter break! After a long four months of classes, exams, and everything in between, you finally have some time away from school to focus on you. Taking care of your mental health may not be top of your to-do list when the semester gets busy. So, spend the next few weeks prioritizing you—here are some tips to help you get started.

Leave your school life behind you.

One of the best ways to de-stress and clear your mind when the semester is
Sallie Mae •

How to Sleep Better in College

Now you’re in bed—so what next? It can be hard to just hop in the bed, close your eyes, and fall asleep. These techniques can help.

1) Look up soothing noises or use apps to whisk you off to dream land. Why buy a white noise machine when you can find it online for free? Look up white noise, brown noise, or an ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) audio to calm you down and lull you to sleep.

2) If you love quiet, try earplugs. Some people (including me) can’t fall asleep unless it’s tota
Sallie Mae •

Mastering the Art of Taking Breaks

At the end of the year (and a million times during it), a break is so needed. It doesn’t matter if you’re in college, trade school, or anywhere in between. Everybody needs some time every now and then to relax and re-center to be their best selves. Some people think they don’t have time to unwind, or they just don’t want to. But whether it’s days off or even just a few minutes, here’s why and how you should take breaks.

As you can imagine, there are so many pros to taking breaks. If there weren
The Maroon •

Community reacts to gas prices

Matt Gantt has seen many things during his six years as an Uber driver. Paying up to $200 for a week’s worth of gas? That’s a new one—until now.

Today, gas prices are reaching record highs across the country. Gantt, a Syracuse, New York native drives for up to six hours a day and six days a week, paying $4.19 a gallon out-of-pocket to fill his Hyundai Sonata.

“It’s more than what we should be paying,” Gantt said.

Like Gantt, members of the Loyola community are struggling with paying more at t
The Maroon •

Loyola law professor makes local impact, wins Dux Academicus Award

Creating meaningful work that leaves a positive impact on the world is lawyer and professor Andrea Armstrong’s calling at Loyola University New Orleans.

One student who looks up to Armstrong is Meredith Booker, Armstrong’s former teaching assistant and current research assistant. The third-year Loyola law student has learned critical principles of practicing law through Professor Armstrong, she said.

Booker was so moved by Armstrong’s presence in her academic and professional life that she wro
Centre Salons & Spas •

Find your Centre by Joining Our Amazing Salon & Spa Team

We consider Centre Salon & Spa to be the best salons in metro Denver for a ton of reasons—but the biggest involves the world-class experience we give to every guest. This can only happen because we’ve curated a passionate team of experts who love their craft and want to continue learning new skills to help clients achieve their beauty goals.

When you join our team, expect a competitive salary, paid vacation & holidays, a 401K, short-term disability, and medical & dental insurance!

We also have
The Maroon •

Residents are concerned, determined as carjackings take over the city

Feb. 8, 2022 will be the first anniversary of one of Deirdre Barolak’s biggest fears coming true: getting carjacked.

“I thought I was going to die,” Barolak said.

The 58-year-old Broadway Street resident walked to her blue 2006 Honda Accord in the early morning of Feb. 8, 2021 to make her way to work. She noticed a man standing on the sidewalk nearby but thought nothing of it.

That is until she saw his gun pointed directly at her head seconds later.

The man pulled on her door handle repe
The Maroon •

Students and professors struggle to find online library resources

A student does schoolwork on a library computer and a personal laptop in the Monroe Library in New Orleans on Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. Some students are having trouble accessing resources through the library.

Environmental studies senior Vairleene Einstein conducted research on green infrastructure during her summer internship this year. She found a resource to support her findings but couldn’t access the article immediately through Loyola’s library.

“I was really mad because it was the perfec
The Maroon •

Ignacio Volunteers returns to campus post-pandemic

Criminal justice senior Cheyenne Williams looks at an art exhibit. She worked with Ignacio Volunteers in fall 2019.

The Ignacio Volunteers program, often referred to as “Iggy Vols,” is back on campus after a hiatus that began in the spring 2020 semester due to the pandemic.

After time away, University Minister for Social Justice and Immersions Jacob DeRusha is looking forward to reaffirming Loyola’s Jesuit values and community building.

“The Jesuit buzzword is ‘with and for others.’ During th
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