Financial Aid

Financial Aid Staff

Financial Aid - Meet the Staff

While choosing a college can be exciting, determining how to pay for college can be less thrilling. Patti Barry, financial aid advisor at Culver-Stockton College, helps ease the stress of the financial aid process for students and their families. She guides students and parents in exploring various financial aid options, including scholarships, grants and loans.

"File your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) early and do whatever it takes while you are in college not to take out excessive loans," Barry advises. "If you have to take a part-time job, do it. It is better to live like a student now than after you graduate."

Barry holds a bachelor of science degree in management from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Okla., with minors in management information systems and music. She is a certified Microsoft Office Master Specialist in Office XP products.

Barry's career experience has taken her outside the United States. She traveled to Thailand and Ireland while working at Upchurch and Associates, Ltd., a company based in Canton, Mo., that produces training materials for manufacturing companies. Barry held the roles of senior production associate, technical writer, data gatherer and senior project manager.

While working at Supra Telecom Information Systems, she traveled to Costa Rica. (Supra was formerly located in Quincy, Ill. The business closed its Quincy office in 2003.) In her roles as a trainer and manager of training curriculum development, Barry trained employees at the Costa Rica offices.

When she began her role as C-SC financial aid advisor in January 2004, Barry was already familiar with the college. Her father, Robert Mathieson, taught at Culver-Stockton from 1963 - 2005.

When not at work, Barry enjoys spending time with her sons, Jackson and Matthew. She also enjoys downhill skiing, boating and listening to music (her all-time favorite band is U2).  

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