CAPFAA Newsletter

Name: Kenneth M. Briggs  

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Where do you work and what is your title: Eastern Connecticut State University.  Assistant to the Director of Financial Aid.  

What’s your favorite food? Lamb Chops    

Why did you enter the Financial Aid field? Earned a job in the ECSU Financial Aid Office as an Office Assistant.  The position was a promotion from Financial Clerk in the Cashier’s Office at Three Rivers Community-Technical College.             

Most exotic place you visited? The Mother Land – AFRICA!! (Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Guinea, Niger, and Togo).  

What do you like about your job? The interaction with students and giving away money to those in NEED!  

What type of music do you like? Jazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!! Oscar Peterson, McCoy Tyner, Grover Washington, Spyro Gyra, Miles Davis, Kirk Whalum, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins, Dave Brubeck, etc, etc, etc.   

What’s the most difficult aspect of your job? Reconciliation of PELL! Running out of funds before ALL “on time” students in NEED receive any state grants.   

Who is your favorite author? Robert Ludlum (any many, many others) What would you change about your job? Increase my pay without increased responsibility (Yeah Right!!)   

What is the last book you read? “Pistol Pete”  

What was your most favorite training so far and why? Besides my Brother Briggs’ Tax Workshop, it was Deborah Long’s workshop on calculating Need Analysis WITHOUT computers.  Just a calculator and charts!! 

Who has been the biggest influence in your life? My Mother, Mrs. Lillian Helen Briggs who just passed away at 96 years old.  Cum Laude at Hunter College in 1935!  She had compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.    

What training are you looking forward to? Training on 2^nd PELL Disbursement reconciliation and training on ALL of the new regulation implementation.  

Where do you call home? Harlem!! (even though I do own a house in Norwich!).   

What do you do when you are not working? I play basketball, take Master’s classes, reading, dating, and traveling to NYC.  

What advice would you give to someone new? Listen, ask many questions, learn your database screens, gain a mentor, read, and interact with all your of your colleagues.            

Where do you like to go on your vacation and what do you like to do? The Grand Bahamas and the West Indies!!  Swimming (& snorkeling) in the Ocean, going on tours, meeting new people, partying, and shopping.             

 If you had the power, what would you change in the Financial Aid field? One of my mentors convinced me that being certified through a program and/or exam is a positive aspect for our industry.      

What is your favorite saying? Let Go and Let God!!   

What is your cellular ringtone? “All I want to do is a zoom-zoom-zoom-zoom and a boom boom!!  Just Shake Your Rump!”

Name:  Ashley Rose Witkoski 

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Where do you work and what is your title: University of Hartford, Assistant Director of Student Financial Assistance 

What’s your favorite food?   Italian, especially Pasta! 

Why did you enter the Financial Aid field?It just happened; I was a student worker at Western CT’s Financial Aid Office and then joined the student workers’ at Eastern’s Financial Aid Farm, and after some time, I knew it was a good fit!   

Most exotic place you visited? I’m not a world traveller yet, but Italy will be first on the list! 

What do you like about your job? Aside from working with students, I like that regulations are always changing – keeps me on my toes! 

What type of music do you like?  I love oldies! The last two concerts I saw were Jay and the Americans and Rain (Great Beatles tribute band) 

What’s the most difficult aspect of your job?  Having to tell a student that they are out of financing options…  

Who is your favorite author? Nicholas Sparks 

What would you change about your job?Similar vacation schedule as the professors!  

What is the last book you read?  Patrick Swayze’s autobiography… I grew up watching Dirty Dancing and felt it was a must read after he passed. 

What was your most favorite training so far and why? So far, I’d say the tax workshop.  This past year was my first time attending and I learned sooo much.

Who has been the biggest influence in your life? My parents, three sisters, and my two best friends; they are very positive, supportive people who have helped me through everything…  

What training are you looking forward to? WINTER CONFERENCE J  It’s going to be great! 

Where do you call home?  Naugatuck, CT 

What do you do when you are not working? Right now - I manage a men’s baseball team, taking courses towards my MBA, being a gym rat, working on my real estate license, and scrapbooking. 

What advice would you give to someone new? Always ask questions, seek out a great mentor, get involved on campus, and remember to breathe every now and then.  

Where do you like to go on your vacation and what do you like to do? Arizona, it’s beautiful! I like to do a combo of catching up on sleep, reading, seeing the “tourist” spots, and getting lost.  You find the best places when you aren’t in a rush and don’t have a set destination...             

If you had the power, what would you change in the Financial Aid field?   The ability to help the middle class, maybe increase Stafford Loan limits. 

What is your favorite saying?We could learn a lot from crayons; some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, while others bright, some have weird names, but they all have learned to live together in the same box.  ~Robert Fulghum 

What is your cellular ringtone? Depends who is calling…. Anything from The Who’s Baba O’Riley to Brad Paisley’s Then.