How far will SFCM go to help its students? In this case, all the way to the Senate.

SFCM's Office of Financial Empowerment & Access Director Kellie Gaines had a busy February: She was selected as part of a group of individuals in higher education who journeyed to Washington, D.C. to speak with lawmakers about upcoming changes to educational funding in the U.S.

Changes to the amount of federal financial aid available to students are slated to take effect across the country in July, and were therefore top of mind at the annual National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators' 2026 conference. Not all attendees were extended the opportunity Gaines was—face time with California Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff to address the issue head-on—and smaller institutions like SFCM were in the minority among the invitees. 

Senator Padilla's office was the most engaged," Gaines recounted. "Very into what's going on in higher ed, how it was affecting us and how they needed to move." Among the other issues included mixed-status students and loan origination fees. The latter has been a controversial topic for years: the fees are a percentage "off the top" of the total amount of federal aid granted before it goes to the recipient. Where exactly the aggregate annual sums of these fees actually go—and how they're spent—is opaque to administrators like Gaines, and apparently, even legislators: "When we asked the senators' offices about it, nobody knew."

Gaines also spoke with the senators about policies affecting international students. "We have a very large international population, so naturally we were interested in what the senators are doing to help mitigate the effects of the current climate around immigration.. We happily brought up that a lot of students from other countries come to SFCM and study and work in a variety of fields, not just music. If we never allow them to be here in the first place, we suffer."

Buddhist monks from the Hương Đạo Vipassana Bhavana Center in Texas in Washington D.C. (Courtesy Walk for Peace Facebook)

Despite the packed schedule and heavy topics, Gaines remains energetic and motivated about the work that needs to continue to maintain her office's titular concerns. And she did have at least one moment of zen during her stay in Washington: "I got to see the Buddhist monks on their last leg of their Walk for Peace because they ended in D.C. the day I was on Capitol Hill. In the midst of the chaos in the House, you could just go outside, and there's peace walking down the street."

Learn more about the Office of Financial Empowerment and Access.