Tabitha Haynes, Financial Aid Specialist, Helps Students Navigate Financial Aid with an Emphasis on Relationships

To most students starting college, financial aid may seem all about loans and grants and price tags, but for Tabitha Haynes, Financial Aid specialist at Concordia University, Nebraska, financial aid is all about relationships.  

Haynes, a first-generation college student herself, became very familiar with navigating financial aid on her own. “I took a few years off school after high school and started college a few years later. I was not only first generation, but I was also starting college in my twenties. It was a lot to figure out,” said Haynes. 

When she went to University of Nebraska, Lincoln (UNL), Haynes majored in English and got a minor in communications. When she graduated, she worked in loan servicing, and worked at different institutions doing financial aid in several capacities for eight years.  

She eventually got a job interview for a Financial Aid specialist at Concordia. When she came onto campus, she immediately felt at home. Haynes stated "I love Concordia because there is such a value of community and relationships here. It’s not just coming to work every day and going home, but it's really getting involved with the people you work with and caring about the students who come into your office.” 

This emphasis on care and communication might be the reason why someone with an English major ended up with a job in financial aid. “The inside joke in financial aid is that none of us imagined that we would end up here,” said Haynes. “My first boss told me that I can teach you financial aid, but I can’t teach you customer service. I always have that in the back of my head when I’m talking to students or parents.” 

For Haynes, this customer service looks like really listening and being able to explain clearly what people need. “Sometimes you have to listen and take a step back and try to hear what people are really struggling with, and really approach the conversation in an entirely different way. There are times when people say one thing, but they mean another, and that’s just because they don’t know the system yet. That’s why it's so important to be patient," reflected Haynes. 

Patient communication is worth the effort for Haynes, because it means getting students on the path, they need to be on to succeed. Haynes said, “my inner peace comes from making sure people are on a successful path to getting their degree. No matter how silly you think your question may be, we are always willing to help. And there are no silly questions.”  

Haynes lives in Lincoln with her dogs Bear and Maya. When she’s not helping students get on the right path with financial aid, she enjoys spending time outdoors and listening to records. 

Navigating financial aid at Concordia? Start here.