Thread by @abigailseldin

What a year. In the 364 days since we launched @swiftstudents, today's students have been navigating #COVID19 and the accompanying challenges.

@SHSFunds partnered with #highered orgs to ensure students could learn about financial aid appeals -- and more than 70,000 did!

https://twitter.com/SHSFunds/status/1382346082705936385

Our partners, esp. @nasfaa @NCANetwork @SupportGenHope @hope4college, ensured constant feedback + inspiration from students, financial aid officers, and college counselors across 20+ focus groups.

For @swiftstudents 1st birthday🎂, I reread my notes.

shs.foundation/swiftstudent

Our best features in @swiftstudents emerged from the focus groups.

One financial aid officer focus groups organized by @nasfaa produced the following features.

⭐️Student name + ID # in header
⭐️Prompt to use school email address
⭐️"Table" in childcare allowance request

All 10 student focus groups shaped design + wording.

The @SupportGenHope student-parent group was very special, and produced these core features:

⭐️Worksheet for tracking convos w/#finaid office
⭐️Reminder list of next steps
⭐️Splitting letters for childcare + dependent

18 orgs partnering @swiftstudents made direct edits to web text!

Across 4 drafts in @googledrive, dozens of experts helped ensure accuracy and legibility. I'm esp. grateful @shardaycampbell for her work.

I'm proud to say the final product is VERY DIFFERENT from our first draft.

I'm delighted @SHSFunds could partner with FormSwift for SwiftStudent. They power the tool with their document template know-how; higher ed experts and students helped create the precise, accurate content. Our users are empowered to ask for the help they need.

In addition to @swiftstudents partners, I'm deeply grateful @viktantry @BobGiannino @collecamp
@tracysefl @dmcgorry @kateyperry1717 @elliebruecker @shardaycampbell @saragoldrickrab @justindraeger @m2anna1 @CharlotteEtier @NicoleLynnLewis @NACACWonk @drkastout @Don_Yu_ @ewwaldo

... and deeply grateful to @MARTHAKANTER @JohnBKing @taylorpeterj @JamesKvaal @bmckib @lauriefladd @AaronSAment @dan_zibel @jimlarimore @tgridiron @jesseocnl @lindseyreichlin @rachelfleischer @David_Helene @schwam_z @CarrieWarick @DTandberg @draabailey @DuffieldBarbara @DebRauch

On the first birthday of @swiftstudents, take a look under the hood and learn more about how an extraordinary coalition worked together to ensure students would have access to free financial aid appeals guidance and templates.

shs.foundation/swiftstudent