As kids get ready to go back to school, I’ve been reflecting on a moment that happened a few weeks ago, something that I’ve been dreaming about for 15 years: I finally paid off all of my student loans and became a debt-free graduate.
As the first in my family to go to college, paying for it was a challenge. Through a combination of loans, financial aid, and scholarships, I was able to figure it out, but it was far from easy. College changed the trajectory of my life, my career, and the opportunities available for my whole family -- but it still took me half of my adult life to pay back my debt.
A college diploma is worth every penny, but graduates who work hard to pay their loans shouldn’t be in debt for half of their adulthood. Add your name to join me in demanding free community college and greater college affordability >>
Immediately after I graduated college, I was barely making $24,000 a year -- and I only had a six month grace period before I had to start worrying about paying back loans. The amount of debt I faced was daunting, and although I was eventually able to overcome it, barriers like this one still make college seem too inaccessible for too many people.
College can be a game-changer for the whole family -- that’s exactly why it should be easier for first-generation and low-income students like I once was to afford an education, not harder. That’s exactly why we need to fight to make college more affordable and two-year community college free.
Everyone who wants a higher education should be able to get one -- without being miles in debt for the next 15 years. Join me in demanding that we start making strides towards more affordable college >>
Thanks,
Mayor Stoney
Paid for by One Richmond
One Richmond
PO Box 182
Richmond VA 23218 United States
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