Life How Young Men Can ImproveTheir Futures (NAPSA)—Many high school and college students and their families don't realize it, but the road to a good education and career can begin with single, simple step: registering with the Selective Service. WhyYou Should Register ‘That’s because registration is required to be eligible for a number of valuable benefits. They include: Eligibility for many college loans, grants and scholarships, such as Fed- eral Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG), Direct Stafford Loans/PLUS Loans, National Direct Student Loans, and College Work-Study. Federal job training programs. ‘The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act offers programsthat can train young men seeking vocational employment or enhancing their career. This program is open only to those men who have registered with Selective Service. Millions ofjobs, includingall federal jobs, Postal Service jobs, manystate jobs, and an increasing numberof contractorjobs. Security clearance backgroundinvestigations for government and some contractor jobs verify whether menare in compliance with federal law, including having registered with the Selective Service System, before hiring them. In moststates you must register if you want a driver's license. elf a male immigrant (documented or undocumented) fails to register, he may be denied citizenship until he is 31 yearsold. What's more, registration is a civic and patriotic duty. When a man reg- isters, he showshis national pride and commitmentto stand in support of his country andtheall-volunteer military. Your future self may thank you for registering with the Selective Service as soonasit’s required. What Can HappenIf You Dor’t Onthe other hand,failure to register is a violation of the law and could carry heavy finesor evenjail time. Also, anyone who knowingly helps someonetofail to comply is subject to the same penalties. While the Department of Justice is not prosecuting anybodyright now, the law remains on the books. How You CanRegister Fortunately, registration with the Selective Service is easy. You can doit several ways. 1. Just go online to www.sss.gov and register. 2. See your high school counselor or principal or specially designated school registrar. 3. Pick up a form in any postoffice and mailit in. 4, Check the “Register me” box when applying for financial aid on the FAFSA form. WhereTo Learn More For further information, visit www. sss.gov or, to speak to someone about registration, call (888) 655-1825.
