{"href":"https://api.simplecast.com/oembed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnrea.simplecast.com%2Fepisodes%2Fs05e08-jim-mchale-and-kierstan-dufour-OnygibmB","width":444,"version":"1.0","type":"rich","title":"S05E08 - FAFSA, Rural Access, and Meeting Students Where They Are: An Interview with Jim McHale and Kierstan Dufour.","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/ddc3ccbf-6a26-4bd5-8466-392692c69ee7/342fde23-fcc7-4519-8bf1-6654a6dca975/fafsa_rural_access_and_meeting_students_where_they_are.jpg","thumbnail_height":300,"provider_url":"https://simplecast.com","provider_name":"Simplecast","html":"<iframe src=\"https://player.simplecast.com/aca47f4d-cc8d-4fbb-badf-f25b7a8f69fb\" height=\"200\" width=\"100%\" title=\"S05E08 - FAFSA, Rural Access, and Meeting Students Where They Are: An Interview with Jim McHale and Kierstan Dufour.\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"></iframe>","height":200,"description":"In this episode of The Rural Voice, Melissa Sadorf, Bill Chapman, and Chris Silver speak with Jim McHale and Kierstan Dufour about how Mississippi became number one in the nation for FAFSA completion. The conversation highlights how Mississippi’s success was not built through a FAFSA mandate but through relationships, local partnerships, community college networks, faith-based support, mobile outreach, Spanish-language resources, and a broad commitment to meeting students and families where they are. Jim and Kierstan explain how completing the FAFSA serves as a doorway to postsecondary opportunity, especially for rural, low-income, and first-generation students, while also emphasizing the importance of persistence, renewal, basic-needs support, and long-term college completion.\nJim McHale is President and CEO of the Woodward Hines Education Foundation and the Mississippi Higher Education Assistance Corporation, where he has led statewide efforts to expand postsecondary access, attainment, persistence, and completion for Mississippians. Kierstan Dufour is Director of External Training and Partnerships for Get2College, where she has led FAFSA scaling efforts, developed educator training and professional development, and supported Mississippi’s College and Career Readiness curriculum work. Together, they bring deep experience in college access, financial aid, partnerships, and rural education systems.\n"}