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College is expensive. Parents work multiple jobs, put pressure on their children to perform at the top of their class in order to earn merit scholarships, all in the hopes for college to be mostly paid in full. Inevitably many students and parents have to take out student loans in an effort to fill in the gaps left by financial aid.

In the case of one Twitter user, Michelle Miller, her mother agreed to pay back half of Michelle’s student loans to ease the burden on the new graduate. After graduation the daughter owed approximately $30,000 and, split between the two of them, it meant they would each need to pay back $15,000.

Michelle lamented on Twitter about how her mother insisted on paying back her agreed-upon portion of the student loans though the daughter offered to take over payments. When Michelle’s mother informed her that the original $15,000 turned into $40,000 after interest, Michelle decided to save money in preparation to take over payments. However, her mother refused to allow it. Miller’s mother was expected to pay $400 a month on the student loans, but this would cut into her retirement, leaving her below the poverty level. To her mother, it was worth it to hold up her end of the bargain. Unfortunately her mother became unexpectedly ill and passed away before she was able to retire or pay back the loans. When going through her mother’s paperwork after her death, Michelle was met with a shock.



The loan amount had doubled. Michelle’s mother hid that the interest rate on the loans had brought the grand total to $80k that she could never afford to pay back. But this story is not unique. Many borrowers go into debt thinking the benefit of the degree will outweigh the burden of student loan debt but the cost of an education continues to skyrocket and the interest rate on loans makes paying it back nearly impossible. When you go to school and take out loans, you expect to be able to afford monthly payments and hope to pay it back in a timely manner, eventually freeing up income, but that’s not always the case. A lot of people find themselves in a similar situation as Michelle’s mother. They take out a dollar amount that is repayable, only to look up and see they’ve repaid the original balance but they still owe more than they originally agreed to borrow.

man wearing white top using MacBookPhoto by Tim Gouw on Unsplash

If stories like Michelle’s are the norm, why aren’t we doing more to regulate student loan companies? Presidential candidates like to talk about student loan forgiveness, and some have come up with actionable plans, but it doesn’t solve the long term issue of student loan practices. The truth of the matter is that children who three months prior had to ask permission to use the bathroom are now expected to understand the long term implications of borrowing money from a company that doesn’t care that the average person can’t pay it back plus interest.

Seventeen- and 18-year olds with a dream of attending college and questionable loan practices is a perfect storm for continued crisis in the student loan arena. Until we can figure out how to better regulate the lending companies in charge of student loans, the next generation will repeat the cycle. People shouldn’t have to choose between pursuing their dreams and taking debt to the grave.


This article originally appeared on 5.4.22

From legalizing marriage equality to advocating for society to better understand the fluidity of gender and sexuality, activists have made incredible strides for queer and trans rights and success in the U.S.

But there's a group of LGBTQ individuals that's struggling, and it's clear that changes need to be made.


LGBTQ college graduates have, on average, $16,000 more in student loan debt than the general population, according to Student Loan Hero.

Through a survey, they found that 60% of LGBTQ students regret taking out student loans, and more than a quarter of respondents feel that their debt is not manageable. Queer students face an uphill battle against student loan debt, falling even further in the debt hole than their peers.

So, why is this happening?

Miranda Marquit, the report's lead author, says there's a chance that a lack of strong familial support may be behind it.

"Only 39% [of those surveyed] feel completely accepted by their families," Marquit writes in an email to Upworthy. "Some of these borrowers might not receive the same level of support that other students receive, including the ability to live at home (33% report being kicked out) or direct financial support, leaving [them] with little option but to borrow more."

Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images.

In addition to lacking family support and housing, Marquit found that many borrowers often feel the need to "prove themselves" at more prestigious — and often more expensive — schools.

"Anecdotal evidence from people we've talked to indicates that there is some added pressure to show that they are super-successful and can 'make it' at more prestigious schools, which can also lead to higher debt," Marquit writes.

Photo by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images.

LGBTQ students also face discrimination when applying for more affordable loans and jobs, leading to long-term debt challenges.

Queer financial expert John Schneider corroborates Marquit's findings, adding via email that "many respondents to the survey said they've been discriminated against when applying for loans because they're LGBTQ. Consequently, these students may have assumed loans with less ideal, less competitive terms."

Discrimination against marginalized groups is nothing new in in this country.

Landlords frequently refused to give black Americans home loans before the Fair Housing Act in 1968, limiting black mobility and financial well-being; banks have discriminated against black and Latinx homebuyers for decades; and Asian business owners have reported discrimination in regards to health inspections for years.

The reality is that discrimination has had a persistent, pervasive impact on marginalized groups. And its effects go beyond student debt.

LGBTQ borrowers are 53% more likely than the general population to make under $50,000 per year, and less than half reported having a retirement savings account, according to the report. With limited financial stability, not only are LGBTQ graduates in debt, they're struggling just to make a dent in it.

A lot of this, according to Schneider, has to do with how we treat LGBTQ people in the first place. "We need to start truly valuing LGBTQ people and people of all diversity and backgrounds," Schneider writes. "Kicking your son or daughter out of your home or making them run away for their safety makes you an unfit parent, and society should hold you accountable. Not treating someone equal because they're LGBTQ, black, female, etc., makes you unfit for your job, and your company should let you go."

Photo by Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images.

While the statistics are frustrating, Marquit and Schneider believe that there's room for progress.

Marquit points out that schools could more effectively focus on better student loan education efforts to inform LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ students alike of debt realities.

Schneider says to make sure that Pride isn't just reflected on a banner but also in hiring and financial practices.

"Depending on your LGBTQ status, we can still be denied housing, employment, and services in 28-30 states in this country," Schneider writes. "So, while we appreciate the Fortune 500 companies attending and sponsoring Pride this month and putting rainbows in the logos for June, how about they push for the equality of their employees, past, present, and future, in those 28–30 states for the next 11 months?"

Our LGBTQ students deserve more, and our schools, financial institutions, and the general public can help ensure they have the financial health they deserve.

Before 2017 follows too closely in the footsteps of 2016 as yet another year of divisiveness, filled with Twitter wars and men on TV yelling about "hateful this" and "PC culture that," let's take stock of some things we can all agree on.

An accurate visualization of America right now. Photo via iStock.

From the special-est snowflake liberals to the don't tread on me-est conservatives, these are a bunch of plain and simple agreements that most, if not all, Americans can come to. We're probably not going to hug and sing "Kumbaya" after this, but maybe we can tear down a little bit of that wall that's dividing us. (Then part of it can be a fence!) (See, we're already laughing together.)


Things like...

1. Freedom is good.

That's right: freedom. You love it, I love it. People have fought and died for it. Alexander Hamilton and Beyoncé have both written hip-hop songs about it.

Some people who love freedom.  Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images.

Freedom is the reason you can leave a nasty comment on this article (I can't wait, by the way) and it's the reason I walk past two mosques and a Catholic school every time I go to my local Jewish deli here in New York City (true story).

Freedom makes this country an eclectic and exciting place to live, and none of us want it to go anywhere.

2. "Batman v Superman" sucked, but the director's cut made it suck less.

Yeah, lets talk about that. "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" was a hot mess. The tone, the pacing, the story, it was all completely off. Lex Luther's plan made no sense, and he was acting all weird the whole time. Just terrible.

They all know it, too. Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Bai Superteas.

Thing is, Zack Snyder's nearly three-hour director's cut was way better. Not "great," not even "good" really, but thoroughly watchable. It was, at the very least, an original take on the characters instead of a cookie-cutter action movie with no personality, right?

Boom, look at that. You. Me. Same page.

3. Going to the doctor shouldn't cost like a crap ton of money.

Hang on! No, this isn't me using a young, hip platform to shoehorn in an advertisement for the Affordable Care Act. (Who do you think I am, President Obama? Zing!) (See? We can do this.)

Photo by Pete Marovich-Pool/Getty Images.

I'm just saying: No one should have to go to the doctor and be horrified at the bill. Did you know that nearly half of American households are one emergency away from entering poverty? Imagine if you had to worry about your health while simultaneously worrying about being able to put food on the table. That's a position no one should have to be in.

Whatever becomes of health care in the future, let's agree to agree: No one wants to (or should) go into massive debt because of a health crisis.

4. Billy Joel.

Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images.

I mean, right? Come on. Piano Man? He's great.

5. We need more jobs.

Jobs are good! Unemployment is bad. More jobs means a stronger economy, more opportunity, and more money for you and yours. Who doesn't want that?

Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images.

I'll go you one further! We need more American jobs. We need jobs to be created right here in the homeland, making American stuff and building American industries that we can pass down to future generations.

The fact that we've steadily added jobs over the last eight years is great, but it's not enough. Now, we may disagree on what those new jobs should be and how best to create them, but at our core we're all chanting the same mantra: Mo' jobs, fewer problems.

6. This is a weird picture.

Photo by Philippe Huguen/AFP/Getty Images.

What are these people doing? Why does that one guy have an umbrella? Did they survive a pink kayak disaster or is this some kind of ritual sea-bath in Northern France? The world may never know, but you and I and the rest of America can rest assured that we agree — there are no two ways about it — this is a bizarre picture.

7. People should be able to afford their educations, regardless of income.

More people being able to pursue their education beyond high school is pretty much always a good idea. It helps us foster innovation and create those jobs and opportunities we were just agreeing on a few minutes ago.

Photo by Joshua Lott/Getty Images.

The massive student debt crisis is hurting all of us. Millions of young people are spending the best years of their lives buried under mountains of loan debt while trying and failing to get one of those jobs that there aren't enough of. Pursuing education should give people more opportunities, not hold them back, and, in turn, hold the whole country back.

That's just not cool.

8.  Brendan Fraser is the only actor who should star in "The Mummy."

Can't faze the Frase! Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images.

We're all thinking it. What's Tom Cruise doing in that new "Mummy" movie? Does the world need more Tom Cruise? Does Tom Cruise really need another franchise? Are movie-goers really that thirsty for more Tom-Cruise-runs-away-from-things summer blockbusters?

Get Fraser back in there! This is his fight.

And finally...

9. Too many toddlers are shooting people.

Yep, this is a thing that is happening.

In 2015, there were 58 shootings committed by toddlers. Which is too many by about 58. There were over 50 in 2016 as well. Here's a chart from the Washington Post with a terrifying title:

So yeah, we can probably agree that we should do something to keep guns out of toddlers' hands. I know this is a divisive issue. I don't expect us all to suddenly agree on the need for more gun control laws (although most people agree on that too) because we all saw what happened after Sandy Hook and after the Pulse shooting. (You know — nothing.) I'm not talking about taking anyone's guns away, either. I'm talking about agreeing that we should all practice enough personal gun safety to protect ourselves from toddlers with guns.

Many of the stories in that Washington Post report involve gun owners who weren't practicing proper gun safety protocol. If we can't agree on more gun control laws and regulations, I'm pretty sure we can all come together and agree that anyone who has a gun should be keeping it far away from where any kid could reach it.

Making 2017 a year with substantially less toddler-shootings shouldn't be too controversial, right?

Honestly, the list doesn't end there. It's on all of us to keep it going.

There's a lot more that we can agree on. Pie, Nutella, campfires, funny hats. The list of things that unite us has always been longer than the list of things that divide us. That's good to keep in mind.

So yes, we're probably going to keep yelling at each other in 2017. We're going to openly disagree, debate, stumble, and evolve, and we should be truly thankful to live in a place where we have the freedom to do so.

In a world of Twitter, talking heads, and fake news, it's too easy for us to lose our common ground and lose sight of our shared humanity. We forget that we all love this beautiful, messy country of ours and want it to be better, and that we want to make it better through hard work and good ideas*.

*If you consider "good ideas" ones that strip away the rights of already marginalized groups, please see above: "Freedom is good."

OK now. Back to it.

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Backed by Bernie Sanders, this governor's plan for free college could be a game-changer.

"Other countries have already done it. It's time this country catches up."

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo just announced a landmark plan to make college tuition-free for low- and middle-income families in New York.

The plan is called the Excelsior Scholarship, and it will take effect over the next three years, applying to any student attending a two- or four-year state or city university whose family earns less than $125,000 a year.

Considering that the median household income in New York state was $60,850 in 2015, this could make a huge difference for many families trying to send their kids to college.


"College is a mandatory step if you really want to be a success ... and this society should say we're going to pay for college because you need college to be successful," Cuomo said in his Jan. 3 announcement alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders, who made debt-free college a big part of his presidential campaign. "Other countries have already done it. It's time this country catches up."

Sanders is far from just a silent backer of the project. He took the stage to give a short speech expressing his support for Cuomo's plan, later tweeting, "If New York makes public colleges and universities tuition-free, mark my words, state after state will follow."

Cuomo's plan could be America's first big step toward what many schools across Europe already offer: free or nearly free college tuition for all residents.

Image via iStock.

Public colleges in Germany, Norway, Iceland, and Finland all offer free college tuition for students, no matter their household income — those countries even offer the same deal to international students, which is why American students sometimes opt to go abroad for their degrees.

Free tuition does come with a cost. The money has to come from somewhere, after all.

The reason colleges in other countries are able to offer free tuition is because their citizens pay more in taxes. Countries like Germany also have lower enrollment percentages than the U.S. as a whole.

New York has the third-largest state economy in the United States (on par with all of Canada), with over 1.3 million students attending public colleges. So the program could end up costing much more than the current proposal of $163 million.

There is evidence that tuition-free programs for middle- and low-income students do work in the U.S. on a smaller scale.

In 2015, Stanford University announced tuition would be free for students from households earning $125,000 and under. In fact, all the Ivy League schools (along with other privately owned schools) offer tuition wavers for households earning $75,000 or less. Just as a state would draw from taxes, these schools draw from student tuition funds and other funding sources to make economic diversity on campus a reality.

Stanford University. Photo by Harshlight/Flickr.

Cuomo's plan for one of the wealthiest states in the country has the potential to set a precedent to finally open those doors to any American who wants to walk through them.

Higher education should not only be available to the financially savvy or those lucky enough to be born into wealthy families. No one should have to go into severe debt to get the degree they need to get a job, contribute to the economy, and succeed in life.

You can show your support and learn more about the Excelsior Scholarship program here.