My PSLF Testimonial

Stacey, U.S. Foreign Service Specialist in Arlington, VA

I applied for PSLF last year and received a note that I was not qualified. It was not until the PSLF reform by the Department of Education, that I received a second notice stating that my application was being reviewed based on new criteria issued by the new administration. Several months passed by, and one day in April 2022, I received an email stating that my loans have been forgiven. I have been paying back student loan debt since the age of 23. I am now 34 years old and finally feel, for the first time, that I can start my professional life debt-free. I have never felt more secure in my life than the day that I received the PSLF letter freeing me from my debt.

I am a first-gen college student from a refugee family. I dreamed of bettering my life and giving back to my society through higher education. When I graduated from university, I felt extremely behind my peers who experienced higher education from a legacy of educated family members and an abundance of financial support. Every time I tried to move on with my life, my student debt took me 10 steps backward. For example, as compared to my peers, I could not obtain secure housing as a young adult or start a family of my own because I had student debt. I never felt so guilty for trying to pursue higher education while exchanging my freedom with a student loan promissory note. This PSLF reform changed my life.

Stacey had $63,000 forgiven through PSLF.