Lynda McGee, the college counselor at Downtown Magnets High School, keeps a list of names under the headline, in a spooky font, "FAFSA Wall of Shame." It's a list of the school's seniors who haven't yet completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the 106-question form that can unlock tens of thousands of dollars in loans, grants and scholarships for college.
Students must file their FAFSA application by March 2 to get priority for California state aid for the 2021-22 school year. Applications for the California Dream Act for those without legal immigration status are also due March 2.
In what could be described, at least collectively, as the worst year in decades for high schoolers, even L.A.'s most high-achieving public schools, like Downtown Magnets, are having to pull out all the stops to convince coronavirus-weary students they have a bright future —