CSS Profile Night: Unlock Aid for Your Teen

The CSS Profile is an online application used by colleges and scholarship programs to award nonfederal institutional aid. Some colleges require the CSS Profile for financial aid, and it can help your teen unlock more funding for college. We’ll explain how the CSS Profile works, what information is needed, and key deadlines. You’ll see how to complete the form accurately and how it differs from the FAFSA. Join us to get your questions answered and to make sure your teen doesn’t miss out on institutional aid.

Meet our Speakers:

Kristin R. Moore
Director of Services, Financial Aid Office, Swarthmore College

Kristin Moore is the Director of Services in the Financial Aid Office at Swarthmore College, where she has dedicated over 23 years to supporting students and families through the financial aid process. With a Master’s degree in Student Affairs and Development from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Kristin brings both expertise and empathy to her work—shaped in part by her own experience as a first-generation college student and undergraduate athlete navigating financial aid.

Kristin has presented at national conferences, including the College Board’s CNAR, sharing insights on access, equity, and student support. Outside of higher education, she lives in Media, Pennsylvania, where she’s an active volunteer with animal rescue and foster organizations. She shares her home—and office—with Asher, her very loved 8-year-old Pitbull.

Mary R. Sauceda, Ed.D., FAAC®
Assistant Vice Provost of Student Financial Services, SMU Enrollment Services

Mary Sauceda, Ed.D., FAAC® serves as the Assistant Vice Provost of Student Financial Services at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas. With over two decades of experience in Enrollment Management, Mary is a passionate advocate for college access, education affordability, and student success, approaching her work through an equity-minded, asset-based lens rooted in care and community.

Her professional journey spans leadership roles in Financial Aid and Enrollment Management across California, Colorado, and Texas. Before joining SMU, she served as Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management at Metropolitan State University of Denver. She also held leadership roles at the University of Denver, where she earned her Doctorate in Higher Education from the Morgridge College of Education.

Gina M. Soliz
Senior Associate Dean and Director of Financial Aid, Office of Financial Aid

With over a 30 year career in financial aid, Gina Soliz has worked at a variety of institutions beginning with a graduate assistantship in financial aid at Syracuse University while earning an M.S. in higher education, two undergraduate colleges in the northeast, and then 17 years as the Director of Financial Aid at Syracuse College of Law. In June 2016, Gina Soliz became the Senior Associate Dean and Director of Financial Aid at Colgate University, a private liberal arts college located in central New York state.

Gina Soliz is a frequent presenter at conferences and on webinars, with session topics ranging from applying for financial aid, financial literacy, understanding your financial aid offer, and financing graduate school.

Ms. Soliz earned both her bachelor’s degree in English (College of Arts and Sciences) and her master’s degree in Higher Education Administration (School of Education) from Syracuse University.