JUNE 25 MEDIA RELEASE

BLUFFTON, OH – Jayme Jarrett, director of financial aid, was awarded the James W. White Award for her work in Financial Aid at Bluffton University. The award is given annually to a member of the Ohio Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (OASFAA) who exemplifies the dedication to students, to the aid community and to the recipient's local community.

"I want students to see financial aid as an okay place to come," said Jarrett. "I think sometimes financial aid is seen as the office of no, and I want people to understand that we do as much as we can […] and try to help students achieve that dream of school."

The James W. White Award is named after James White, a director of financial aid at Oberlin College who retired in 1990. This award is one of the highest honors that OASFAA awards.

Jarrett's acceptance of this award speaks to her commitment to the Bluffton University student body as well as her service to the wider community in her work with financial aid. Her interest in problem solving fuels her interest in the financial aid world.

"Financial aid is a big puzzle sometimes. I really like putting all the pieces together," she stated. "I really enjoy solving problems, figuring out the why."

During her first year at Bluffton, Jarrett and her team worked tirelessly to help families solve FAFSA related issues when delays took place in October 2023.

Patience and understanding helped Jarrett build relationships with students and parents during the process. "I might know this stuff, but a lot of times the students or their families are hearing about financial aid for the first time," Jarrett explained. "Being patient, using terms that families and students can understand and recognizing that there's been a lot of change helps a lot."

Encouraged to begin professional development early in her career, Jarrett has volunteered her time in the community through work with committees and other organizations.

"I started in financial aid in 2009 and by 2011 I was already volunteering for things. And that has just grown to chairing committees and elected roles in organizations," she stated. "I'm getting really involved with the professional organization, and also encouraging others to do so, just the way that I was encouraged."

Jarrett's passion for higher education shapes her work in financial aid, but it's ultimately her own experience with financial aid as a first-generation college student that drives her to help others pursue their academic success.

"I was that first-gen college student, so my admissions and financial aid folks where I went to undergrad really helped me," she noted. "It's 25 years later, and I'm still seeing first-gen college students and helping them through that process. I think when a family says thank you and 'you've really helped,' that's amazing."