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Philadelphia social worker Kelly Monique Gray wept as she shared what it meant for her student loans to be forgiven.
Gray shared her experience during a roundtable discussion in North Philadelphia’s Fairhill neighborhood. Through a combination of associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degrees, she carried around $350,000 in student loans. She even began a Ph.D program but couldn’t afford to finish it. She even took out loans for her daughters to pursue college.
For years, she couldn’t qualify to purchase a home, travel or save for emergencies, she said.
When she first got the letter about her student loan forgiveness for being a public servant, she was skeptical.
“I didn’t believe it. I went on [the] FAFSA website. It was all zeros,” she said. “I called my daughter because she was so overwhelmed for not helping me. I never thought that I would ever, ever get this done.”
Vice President Kamala Harris joined U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans for Monday’s roundtable discussion on student loan debt forgiveness at William Cramp Elementary School with public service professionals.
“Most people should not have to carry this kind of worry,” Harris said.
She shared new student relief plans that, if successful, could help more than 30 million borrowers.
About 23 million borrowers could see any accrued interest on their loans forgiven, about 4 million borrowers would see their entire student debt burden forgiven, and 10 million borrowers would get at least $5,000 in debt relief.
