Join the Formerly Incarcerated College Graduates Network (FICGN) for the final installment in the virtual panel series: Access Denied Part 3: The Fight for Equal Access. Advocates and policymakers unite to address the  profound challenges faced by incarcerated and newly-released students burdened by student loan defaults. Panelists will illuminate how current financial aid policies stifle the aspirations of incarcerated students and identify actionable steps to bring about policy changes that alleviate this burden.

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As part of the broader Access Denied Series, the key objectives remain focused on amplifying this issue more broadly to practitioners and decision-makers with the ultimate goal of arriving at equitable and just solutions to helping student loan borrowers in prison reclaim agency over their educational journey. July 1, 2023 marked an historic moment for prison education. As a result of the FAFSA Simplification Act and for the first time since 1994, people in prison once again have broad access to Pell Grants to help support pursuing a postsecondary education. However, many prospective students will be denied access to Pell due to past student loans being in default.

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Panelists

Persis Yu is the Student Borrower Protection Center’s deputy executive director and managing counsel. Persis is a nationally recognized expert on student loan law and has over a decade of hands-on experience representing student loan borrowers.

Ryan M Moser is a formerly incarcerated journalist and award-winning writer from Philadelphia. Recently featured on NPR's "all things considered," and News Nation, Moser's work can be found in many media outlets and literary journals, including muckrack.com/ryan-moser.

Charlotte West is an education journalist covering prisons. As a national reporter with Open Campus, she writes about the future of postsecondary education in prisons and publishes a biweekly newsletter, College Inside.

Aaron Smith is the Co-Founder of Savi. Savi is the leading social impact company working to help student loan borrowers navigate complicated government programs. Aaron Smith is a long-time student loan expert and advocate with over a decade of experience in the intersection between higher education and financial technology.

Sheila Meiman is an experienced advocate, practitioner, consultant, and analyst in the field of higher education in prison. She has expertise in a range of topics in her
field, including STEM education, financial aid, program creation and expansion, student and academic support, data, transfer and direct-to-work credentials, and technology. She currently serves as the Prison Education Specialist at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA).