Camarillo, Calif., Feb. 14, 2008-The Educational Talent Search program at California State University Channel Islands has teamed with R.A. Bianchi & Associates, a CPA firm in Encino, to host a financial aid workshop for ETS graduating seniors and provide pro bono tax preparation services to them and their families with the hope of increasing these students' opportunities to attend college.

The financial aid workshop and tax preparation services will be held at Santa Paula High school and is exclusively for graduating seniors from Santa Paula High School who are part of the ETS program. The workshop is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23. More than 30 graduating seniors and their families are expected to attend.

"We also provided this service to our cohorts earlier in the month at Pacifica High in Oxnard. The response there was excellent and we, at ETS, look forward to extending this service to our Santa Paula and Fillmore families," said Martin Perez, Director of Educational Talent Search. Perez also said he is excited to offer this opportunity to the seniors in the ETS program.

"We at R.A. Bianchi & Associates are proud to be associated with this tax preparation workshop. It's important for these families to have access to tax preparation services, doing so could ease the process of applying for financial aid and allows the students to set their sights on their main goal...getting an education," said Katy Bianchi, CRTP.

Bianchi also said that no student should miss the Free Application for Federal Student Aid deadline because his or her or their family could not obtain tax preparation assistance.

The ETS program at CSUCI is a federally funded TRIO program of the U.S. Department of Education. While the program is managed by staff from Cal State Channel Islands, it does not focus on recruiting these students specifically to CSUCI, rather it is intended to help prepare students to apply and attend any college, university, or qualified institution of postsecondary education.

The goal of the program is to encourage middle and high school students who meet federal income guidelines to enroll and to provide them with the knowledge and tools to succeed in their post secondary education. The services include assisting students with the college selection, admissions, and financial aid application process, as well as providing learning and test preparation skills that will help assure they meet the requirements to enroll in an institution of higher education.

For more media inquiries about the ETS financial aid workshop contact Ceal Potts, Communications Specialist at CSUCI, (805) 437-8940.