In the ever-evolving landscape of financial aid, it is rare to find someone who has experienced both sides of the desk, as a Financial Aid Officer and now part of the ELM Team.
Today, we are sitting down with Katie Gawronski, an ELM National Service Center (NSC) Analyst with over a decade of experience in financial aid.
Katie's unique perspective offers valuable insights for Financial Aid Officers (FAOs) working with ELM's platform, ELMOne. Let us dive into her journey and the wisdom she has gained along the way.
Question: Katie, can you briefly describe your background in financial aid?
Katie: I started my career in Financial Aid as a front desk worker in the FA office while I was in college. After graduation, I worked as a Financial Aid Counselor and most recently served as Assistant Director of Financial Aid at a medical school before joining ELM.
As an FA counselor, I handled all types of processing, including federal aid programs, private loan processing through ELM, state grants and scholarships, Work Study, and more. Later, I worked on Professional Judgement cases, reconciliation, and Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and helped prepare the school system for the changes to the FAFSA in the 2024-25 academic year.
During my time in Financial Aid, my focus was always on supporting students. By making the FA process less stressful, they could focus on their studies and maximize their college experience.
Question: What led you to transition to working at ELM?
Katie: I applied for a job with ELM after having an excellent experience with them at my school. I was handling an exceedingly stressful loan situation, and the ELM Analyst who helped me was incredibly supportive. That inspired me to apply for an NSC job. I hoped to lend all the support service skills I learned in the FA office to the schools ELM serves. It has been a great transition to a different part of the FA process. I have the unique privilege of being able to support FA reps who I can relate to directly, having worked in similar roles.
Question: Your previous experience with ELM includes manually processing loans within ELMOne. What insights have you gained since joining ELM?
Katie: After being fully trained as part of the NSC team, my biggest takeaway for manual schools is to use the templates available in ELMOne. Nothing is worse than keying in the exact loan period dates and other details on each loan certification. Templates apply pre-set loan information (such as loan period and disbursement dates, grade level, graduation date, etc.) to the certification, which saves time and reduces the chance of human error when completing all those date fields.
Question: What valuable insights or learnings have you gained since joining ELM?
Katie: One aspect of the loan process I needed to fully understand before joining ELM is that lenders must respond and approve all requested changes to loan records. The lender has discretion on whether changes, such as loan increases, can be approved. Monitoring the lender's response is essential if a change is submitted to a loan record.
Question: From your perspective, how does ELM's platform streamline the loan certification process for FAOs?
Katie: ELM streamlines the private loan process by housing a school's private loans in one place. If a student inquires with the FAO about their loan but needs clarification on the details, the FAO can search ELM and see all the student's loan records from any lenders.
Additionally, ELMSelect streamlines the loan application process by allowing lenders to keep their loan options and borrowing criteria current. When lenders can update loan options in real-time, FAOs do not have to research this information independently. This saves the FAOs time and ensures loan criteria are accurate, eliminating guesswork.
Question: What features of ELM's platform are most beneficial for FAOs, and why?
Katie: I would say the ELM National Service Center (NSC). Our excellent team of Analysts and other personnel are here to assist when you have questions or concerns about the loan process. We are here to make all FAOs confident ELM users!
Question: How does ELM's platform help FAOs manage the complexities of private loan processing compared to traditional methods?
Katie: Using ELM means all private loans can be certified and managed in one place rather than using many different lender portals. Additionally, disbursements come via ELM rather than individual lenders, which means funds from other lenders arrive simultaneously on a single roster for disbursement in your system.
Question: What other suggestions do you have for schools looking to streamline their processes further?
Katie: Here are a few suggestions:
1. Take advantage of ELM reporting functions to cross-check the data in your school system.
2. Schedule ELM reports to run regularly rather than having to be pulled manually.
3. Schools that process loans manually on ELM may consider switching to files if their system permits. Just contact the NSC at nsc@elmresources.com
4. Using reporting in ELM is essential to ensure you know of any lender-initiated changes to your loans that might not have successfully loaded into your system.
Question: Do you have any final thoughts for our readers?
Katie: I would encourage all FAOs to use the resources ELM provides fully. Whether it is the streamlined certification process, the reporting functions, or the support from the NSC, these tools are designed to make your job easier and more efficient. Remember, we are here to support you so you can better support your students!
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ABOUT KATIE:
Name: Katie Gawronski
Occupation: ELM NSC Analyst
Years in Financial Aid: 10
Experience: I started my career in Financial Aid as a front desk worker in the FA office while I was in college. After graduation, I obtained a job as a Financial Aid Counselor. Before joining ELM, I recently served as Assistant Director of Financial Aid at a medical school in my area.
Katie Gawronski's journey from Financial Aid Officer to ELM NSC Analyst offers a unique perspective on the private loan process. Her insights highlight the importance of leveraging technology and support systems to streamline operations, benefiting both FAOs and the students they serve. As the financial aid landscape evolves, platforms like ELM are invaluable in managing private loan processing complexities.
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