OCCUPY STUDENT DEBT

When I was taking loans out for college, I wasn’t thinking about how much I would owe or how difficult it would make my life after graduating. I was thinking about my diploma and my learning experience. I attended the school that I did because they offered what I thought was a good financial aid package, not realizing how much was left over to pay (my parents could not pay out of pocket, so loans were the alternative for me).

I have been unemployed 10 months in the four years since I’ve graduated, and held 4 different jobs. Even when I was making around a thousand a month in Americorps, Nelnet refused to put the loan in my name in derferment and reported me to collections when I stopped making payments. I have not always made payments on time. I am currently unemployed, but my largest loan is in my mother’s name - she is employed but my parents cannot afford to make the payments (almost $400 a month minimum) so I pay out of my savings.

We need a debt amnesty - student loans, credit cards, mortgages, car payments - everything.