Austin ISD seniors have chance to meet First Lady Michelle Obama

Students must finish FAFSA and tweet a message

White House and Blake Barto illustration

Mary Griffis, Entertainment Editor
March 11, 2016

The Austin Chamber, in collaboration with the White House and First Lady Michelle Obama’s Reach Higher initiative, will offer Central Texas seniors who complete a FAFSA before 5 p.m. on March 14 a chance to see the First Lady on March 16 at SXSW Music for her keynote address.

The contest supports FAFSA filing over spring break and in advance of impending March 15 priority deadlines for Texas Grants and other aid. A total of 80 students will win this opportunity, 2 per high school.

Let Girls Learn Initiative

On Wednesday, March 16, First Lady Michelle Obama comes to SXSW Music to discuss the Let Girls Learn initiative, which aims to break barriers for the 62 million girls around the world who are not in school today, more than half of whom are adolescent. The SXSW Music Conference brings the global music industry together and offers the perfect platform to celebrate Women’s History Month, as the First Lady provides her call to action to support girls’ education. First Lady Michelle Obama’s event is open to all SXSW Music, Film, Gold, and Platinum registrants.

In connection with the First Lady’s visit to SXSW, we are proud to announce a contest for TWO seniors from each participating Central Texas high schools to see the First Lady on March 16.

To be eligible to win, students must:

File their FAFSA no later than 5 p.m. Central Time on Monday, March 14. If selected, student winners must scan and submit their FAFSA confirmation page to Andrew Feller at [email protected]

Register for contest at: https://www.financialaidsaturdays.org/flotus.html
Paste the following message in a Tweet to their personal Twitter account: “I filed my FAFSA, have you? File by 3/14 to meet @FLOTUS during #sxsw @austinchamber @ReachHigherATX contest here: http://bit.ly/24Elcge“
Be currently enrolled in a high school from one of the following school districts or charter schools: Austin ISD, Del Valle ISD, Elgin ISD, Hays CISD, Hutto ISD, Leander ISD, Lockhart ISD, Manor ISD, Pflugerville ISD, Round Rock ISD, KIPP Austin Public Schools, Harmony Public Schools, and NYOS.
The Chamber will randomly select two eligible students from each of the 40 high schools (80 total) representing the districts/charters mentioned above. The contest begins immediately and ends Monday, March 14 at 5 p.m. Winners will be emailed and called by the Chamber no later than noon the following day, Tuesday, March 15.

Winners will be sent additional information and must follow-up with all additional items by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 15. Winners may also be subject to a security clearance.

If the event must be postponed for any reason, the Austin Chamber and the White House reserve the right to cancel and reschedule.