Announcing the Get Schooled College Affordability Challenge Finalists

From left to right: Dekunle Somade, Larissa Simpson and Devin Valencia

Three finalists from the Get Schooled College Affordability Challenge were announced at the Cracking the Student Aid Code Capitol Hill briefing on January 19.  The Get Schooled College Affordability Challenge, sponsored by the College Board and MTV, encourages current and aspiring college students to create innovative digital tools to re-imagine and simplify the financial aid process.  The three finalists were selected from more than 200 submissions, representing 48 states across the nation.

Each of the finalists will be moving on to work with frog design, a design firm, which will help to refine their ideas.  Ideas will then be featured on MTV.com and online voting will determine the grand prize winner.  The winning individual or team will receive $10,000 and see their idea brought to life by the College Board and MTV, with a development budget of up to $100,000. 

The finalists are:

Funding Quest
Larissa Simpson
Female, 24 years old
Brooklyn, NY – graduate student, The New School

Funding Quest is an interactive board game that appeals to a wide range of students, encouraging them to believe in themselves, invest in their future, and fund their college education. Both a roadmap and guide to walk students through the financial aid process, Funding Quest will organize, streamline and channel content from expert sources. Students are awarded with badges and rewards as they complete steps and reach milestones, while they build a positive support network using social media and face-to-face interaction. By the end of 12th grade, students are well supported and on their way to a funded experience at their chosen college.

First Aid
Dekunle Somade
Male, 21 years old
College Park, MD - senior, University of Maryland, College Park

A single-source online and SMS platform designed to serve as a college "on-ramp" for low-income students, simply organizing a wide array of financial aid and admissions information, as well as creating a new communications channel between institutional aid offices and those most in need. The platform will also facilitate and track users’ progress towards securing funding for school, and alert them to relevant scholarships and grant opportunities.

Connect Fund
Devin Valencia
Female, 22 years old
Las Vegas, NV – recent graduate, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

An interactive Facebook application offering an intuitive, step-by-step guide on how to fill out the FAFSA, as well as apply for grants, scholarships and loans.  The application will prioritize financial aid opportunities based on the user's demographic information and enable them to get questions answered by friends and other application users.

Learn more about Get Schooled and the College Affordability Challenge.