Hello everyone! First, thank you for listening to my story. I’m 26 years old, I am a full-time graduate student working towards my doctorate degree, I work 3 part time jobs, and unfortunately, I’m drowning in $295,000 of student loan debt.
Growing up, I lived in a very toxic and abusive household due to the untreated mental health issues of my parents. The way that I coped with this was to put all my mental energy into my studies. When it came time to apply for college, the school’s that offered me the most financial aid were close to home, and for my own safety, attending college close to home was not an option. I ended up going to a good university out of state, but to attend, I had to take out private loans with 10% interest rates.
I graduated with my Bachelor’s degree in psychology, passionate about helping people heal as I could see the toll that untreated mental health can take on a person, and on their family. I was hopeful and certain that if I worked hard, and cared deeply about what I do, that the finances would work itself out. My plan was to go to grad school, graduate, and open my own practice to treat my patients to the best of my ability. What I didn’t think about was this: that going to graduate school would require me to take out more loans, that starting a private practice would require me to take out more loans, and that I would be completely on my own with no help.
At this point, I feel that my very sense of freedom has been taken from me because my life is dedicated to paying off this debt. I want so badly to have a comfortable life and take care of other people and my patients, but right now I can’t even take care of myself. I’m struggling to pay rent, I’m beyond stressed and burnt out from working and being in graduate school full time, and sometimes I “decide” to fast, but really, I just can’t afford food for the day. I’ve been feeling so stuck because of my debt, that I literally feel like I no longer want to go on. I’m at such a disadvantage to really being able to start my life. I did not want this to be my story. I want to help as many people as I can, I want to be able to provide for my future children, and I want to live a comfortable life in a safe place, but right now I’m just struggling.
Again, thank you so much for listening to my story and thank you all for your kindness. If you would like to donate, my Paypal is linked below.
https://paypal.me/giannasmith