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Ben Mitchell

Ben Mitchell
Mechanical Engineering '06

Ben Mitchell grew up in a devout household in the central Upper Peninsula of Michigan where emphasis was placed on helping others. He traveled with his father to places such as Kenya and Peru on short-term medical missions. When he was in Kenya, a missionary explained that engineers have the greatest potential to influence the largest number of people. During high school, Ben participated in a youth mission trip to Tijuana. A result of the mission trips, his family decided to adopt three Vietnamese children when he was a junior.

All of these experiences had a great influence on Ben’s outlook on life. He decided to major in mechanical engineering and enrolled at Lake Superior State University. Near the end of his senior year, he decided to volunteer for the Peace Corps to help others.

His two-year commitment began in the fall of 2007 and took Ben to Burkina Faso in western Africa. He resides in the village of Tansila, population 3,000, approximately 10 km from the Mali border. His host organization is the local cotton growers union. It works cooperatively with other villages to improve and expand their production techniques. He serves as an agribusiness advisor as a part of the Small Enterprise Development program which helps create market linkages and assists with the advancement of business skills.

LSSU School Code: 0 0 2 2 9 3

Financial Aid Office

Hints for Completing the FAFSA

Federal Instructions for Completing Your FAFSA. These instructions are for the FAFSA, but can be helpful in completing the Renewal FAFSA as well.

LSSU Helpful Hints for Completing Your FAFSA

To meet LSSU's requirements, you'll need to fill out all four pages (Step One through Step Six).

For the 2008-2009 FAFSA, you will need several documents including your completed 2007 Federal Tax Form (and your parents' tax form if you are a dependent). If you have not yet completed a 2007 tax form, you may estimate this information to ensure that you will meet the stated deadline date.

An improperly completed form may be returned and/or cause delays in processing. Please:

Shade in the ovals completely with your responses.
Round amounts to the nearest dollar.
Complete all questions. If a question doesn't apply, fill in a zero (unless otherwise instructed).
Sign the completed form properly.

Be certain that the applicant's (student's) social security number is correct. Please use the number directly from your social security card. Your application will be delayed if this number is incorrect, and you will be required to provide additional documentation (i.e. copy of your birth certificate and/or social security card). If you are applying for financial aid, your student identification number must be your social security number. Contact the Registrar's Office at (906) 635- 2682 if you need to make this change.

Be careful to list the year of your birth accurately. If you indicate the current year (i.e., 2008) instead, your application will be rejected.

If you are a Michigan resident, be sure the "MI" you indicate for your state of residency is clearly written so it is not mistaken for "MT" (Montana).

Do not include the value of your home (or parents' home) as an asset anywhere on the application.

Be sure to list LSSU to receive the FAFSA by listing our federal school code of 0 0 2 2 9 3. Be sure to indicate whether you plan to live with your parents or live on/off campus.

Applications without signatures won't be processed. If you are a dependent student, you and one parent must sign the application. If you are independent, only your signature is required.

Additional LSSU Helpful Hints for Filing your Renewal FAFSA

Review all data items for accuracy.
Update any incorrect information.
Items indicating "Enter Correct Data" with arrows must have new information provided.
To delete an answer, draw a line completely through the answer boxes and ovals for both the current and new years.

Final instructions

Please review your application to make sure you've answered all the applicable questions accurately and signed the FAFSA or Renewal FAFSA printed form. We recommend you make a copy of the completed form and any materials used in preparing it (such as tax returns) and keep them in a file for future reference.

Put a stamp on the postcard included with both the FAFSA and the Renewal FAFSA and address it with your permanent mailing address.

Mail the entire form and the postcard to the address indicated. You do not have to enclose a fee.

If you file your FAFSA or Renewal FAFSA on the Web, save a copy to a disk for your records. If you are a dependent student, you must also print, sign and submit a signature page to the Federal Student Aid Programs. After the form is submitted electronically, you should print the confirmation page as proof of sending.

Highest Awards

Third Place
Lake Superior State University

2004 ASME Student Design Contest – Region V

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