ORLANDO, Fla. — The annual Latinos in Action Conference in March helped middle and high school students become more financially proficient and prepare for college.

Here are five things that happened at the event:

1. Middle school students took courses how to save money and set their goals.

"We want them to see the opportunity for them to actually create a career out of the things they do well along the things they like to do," said Karemah Manselle with UCF Financial Assistance Office.

2. High school students learned how to pay for college, such as how to file for FAFSA and find scholarships.

"One of the major things is to one be informed and two scholarships are available and students should look about to maximize they’re scholarship potential," Manselle said.

3. Manselle said research is key to finding scholarships and many scholarships are offered to students in afterschool activities, such as Latinos in Action.

"[We want to] give them access to scholarships they may not have," José Rodriguez Latinos in Action founder said. "[We want to] give them access to scholarships for various different types of students whether it for professions, if they’ve gone into majors, and even for DACA students or for those who don’t think they have an opportunity."

4. Manselle said students should look at the financial assistance page on the university or universities they plan to attend, like UCF’s financial assistance page.

5. In June 2019, The Federal Reserve estimated the national student loan debt reached more than $1.6 trillion and 42 million people carry a federal student loan.