Wayne State University Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management Dawn Medley will be a featured panelist for the upcoming Last Mile Education Fund webinar “Affording College in the time of COVID,” happening on Thursday, Nov. 19. The webinar will cover a variety of topics including CARES Act funding and how it affects students, how students can qualify for additional financial aid, whether students should choose private loans or direct loans, and emergency funding options. Medley will be joined on the panel by featured graduate Emely Villeda-Principe, who is now a software engineer.

“I’m happy to be part of this important discussion with the Last Mile Education Fund,” said Medley. “It has been my pleasure to serve as an advisor to this great organization that advocates for students in need. Last Mile assists students with funding options and education to remove financial barriers that can prevent them from achieving their goals of a college degree.”

The Last Mile Education Fund takes an abundance approach in their funding model, which consists of mostly grants. By investing in a broader group of students already committed to technology and engineering fields, they provide support for challenges students face that are beyond their control and incubate them to be the next generation of innovators.

"We are thrilled to have Dawn Medley’s advice and wisdom to help support students striving toward their degrees during these trying times,” said Last Mile Education Fund founder Ruthe Farmer. “Dawn is an advisor to the Last Mile Education Fund and has been helping us shape our efforts to get just-in-time support to students in need. This discussion is very important because students have been left behind in the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The webinar is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. EST. Registration is open to the public.