OCCUPY STUDENT DEBT

Student debtor stories submitted by the 99%

My debt feels like an elephant, carrying sticks of lit dynamite, super glued to my shoulders. I carry it with me all day, every day, feel the weight of it in my daily choices, always afraid of how it’s going to further impact my life. Student loan forgiveness would change my life in ways I don’t even dare dream about, for the temptation of a student-debt free life makes me want to cry. I don’t want things for free- I am responsible and want to pay for my own education. But the sheer size of my debt and it’s rapid accumulation is mind boggling. I chose to obtain a degree in a field I feel is one of the most noble- education. But I can’t get a job as a teacher- there are so few jobs in Oregon it’s beyond depressing. Instead, I’m underemployed, working for an hourly wage with a Master’s degree. I did everything I was told to, everything I was supposed to do. I got good grades, went to college, did well, worked hard, and even went back to get a specialty degree in an area I have intense passion for. I’m not asking for favors. I’m asking to have the opportunity to achieve what generations before me where able to achieve after college- a steady job, enough money to own a good car, a home, and provide a quality life for myself and my future family. At nearly 28 years of age (and having worked since 14) I feel I should have those opportunities. My student debt when I left my Master’s program in December 2009 was just over $95,000. Two years later, as of December 2011 it is $107,524.94. Interest raised my total debt by over $6000 a year. Right now I make $21,000 a year before taxes (full time, no benefits). I have no choice but to sign up for Income Based Repayment which, though alleviating the monthly bill, does nothing to stop the rapid rise of my total debt. To say I feel helpless, depressed, and hopeless would be understating it dramatically. If I put dollar signs on the tears, sleepless nights, and hours of worry and anxiety I’ve experienced in the last 6 years I’d have my student debt back about 10x over. This country has a nation full of eager, smart, and engaged young people waiting anxiously to give all they have. Don’t ruin our lives before they even start. Help us. Please. Megan Boyeas Portland, OR

My debt feels like an elephant, carrying sticks of lit dynamite, super glued to my shoulders. I carry it with me all day, every day, feel the weight of it in my daily choices, always afraid of how it’s going to further impact my life. Student loan forgiveness would change my life in ways I don’t even dare dream about, for the temptation of a student-debt free life makes me want to cry. I don’t want things for free- I am responsible and want to pay for my own education. But the sheer size of my debt and it’s rapid accumulation is mind boggling. I chose to obtain a degree in a field I feel is one of the most noble- education. But I can’t get a job as a teacher- there are so few jobs in Oregon it’s beyond depressing. Instead, I’m underemployed, working for an hourly wage with a Master’s degree. I did everything I was told to, everything I was supposed to do. I got good grades, went to college, did well, worked hard, and even went back to get a specialty degree in an area I have intense passion for. I’m not asking for favors. I’m asking to have the opportunity to achieve what generations before me where able to achieve after college- a steady job, enough money to own a good car, a home, and provide a quality life for myself and my future family. At nearly 28 years of age (and having worked since 14) I feel I should have those opportunities.

My student debt when I left my Master’s program in December 2009 was just over $95,000. Two years later, as of December 2011 it is $107,524.94. Interest raised my total debt by over $6000 a year. Right now I make $21,000 a year before taxes (full time, no benefits). I have no choice but to sign up for Income Based Repayment which, though alleviating the monthly bill, does nothing to stop the rapid rise of my total debt. To say I feel helpless, depressed, and hopeless would be understating it dramatically. If I put dollar signs on the tears, sleepless nights, and hours of worry and anxiety I’ve experienced in the last 6 years I’d have my student debt back about 10x over.

This country has a nation full of eager, smart, and engaged young people waiting anxiously to give all they have. Don’t ruin our lives before they even start. Help us. Please.

Megan Boyeas

Portland, OR