Representatives from the Illinois Student Assistance Commission presented a step-by-step guide to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form to a crowd of 16 students Thursday at the Evanston Public Library.

Vivian Anguiano, an ISAC core member who organized the event, said her organization hosted the program to increase access to higher education for first-generation college students as well as students from low-income families. The complicated financial aid application could prevent students from getting the help they need, she said.

“Our mission is to help them view college as something attainable and affordable,” Anguiano said. “Students often get lost in the application process.”

Co-organizer Selina Spencer said she joined the program to give back to her community. A first generation college student who grew up in Evanston, Spencer said the financial aid application process was confusing to her, and her parents were not able to help her.

“I was completely lost,” the ISAC core member said. “If a program like this were available to me, I would have definitely participated in it.”

EPL hosted the event to aid residents in need of assistance, said Renee Neumeier, the young adult librarian, adding that more people signed up for the program than she expected.

The library will also host one-on-one counseling sessions on the financial aid application process Friday and Jan. 19.

— Jia You