OPINION:
Last summer, the Supreme Court struck down President Biden’s student loan forgiveness program, ruling it unconstitutional. But this week, Mr. Biden announced a new, very similar plan (“Biden unveils revamped student debt relief plan to reel in young voters,” web, April 8). I applaud the president’s tenacity, because I know how hard I struggled to repay my own student loans.
When it was time for me to graduate from high school, I decided to take the college route. As an African American teenager of limited means, I knew attending a historically Black college would have been less expensive than attending the local state institution in my Northern community. It’s no secret that attending college is one of the most expensive undertakings a person can make. Not everyone gets to obtain higher education on a full scholarship.
Immediately after I graduated from college, difficulty finding stable employment kept me from keeping to my loan repayment schedule. It wasn’t until eight years after graduation that I managed to get a good job with a reputable organization. By then, it was too late. I received notification from my employer that I was to have my pay garnished for past repayment obligation. It is true what they say: Student loans will haunt a borrower forever.
Mr. Biden’s loan forgiveness program will give this generation of college graduates with student loan debt an economic advantage that was not afforded to me. It will allow today’s borrowers to move swiftly up the ladder of financial prosperity. That will be a win-win for the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs.
WAYNE E. WILLIAMS
Camden, New Jersey
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