​​Student loan debt stories: ‘I will spend the rest of my life paying for my education’

​​Student loan debt stories: ‘I will spend the rest of my life paying for my education’

For a lot of people, resuming student loan debt payments will mean their lives are turned upside down and inside out. In short, people are worried about their finances, future, family and more.

Understanding the weight of this debt, Reckon has asked readers to tell us what debt relief would mean for them and how paying back their loans would shake up their world. They appear weekly in the Broke & Bothered newsletter and regularly on our site.

Suyapa F. is 67 years old, lives in Arizona and has $195,000 in student loan debt.

The following has been edited for length and clarity.

With student loan payments hitting me this month, I will have to make adjustments to my budget, continue working two jobs and observe painfully as my loans continue to accumulate interest.

The pause on student loan payments granted me the opportunity to establish a small private practice dedicated to working with those struggling with substance abuse.

The pause on payments gave me the flexibility to develop and strengthen my practice – something I have always wanted to pursue – without the burden of high-interest rates accumulating on my student loans. With the pause on loans, I was also able to pursue a doctoral degree in psychology without borrowing more money.

Suyapa F. is 67 years old, lives in Arizona and has $195,000 in student loan debt.

Not paying on my loans for the past three years has given me the capacity to dream, pursue a higher education and work on my dissertation.

I will spend the rest of my life paying for my education, although I will not live long enough to implement the knowledge acquired.

Want to read more student loan debt stories like Suyapa’s? Click here to read real stories of people most impacted by the student loan debt crisis.