Here & Now

Student Britney Woods Offers College Debt Solutions

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

A UW STUDENT WAS IN ATTENDANCE TO HEAR THE PRESIDENT’S WORDS. HER INVITE CAME FROM U.S. SENATOR TAMMY BALDWIN, WHO HELD A STUDENT ROUND TABLE ON COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY IN WASHINGTON AHEAD OF THE PRESIDENT’S SPEECH. BALDWIN HERSELF HAS INTRODUCED SEVERAL PIECES OF LEGISLATION, INCLUDING FREE COMMUNITY COLLEGE TUITION, THE WORKING STUDENT ACT, THE EMERGENCY LOAN REFINANCING AND THE MOVE TO PROTECT LOW-INCOME LOANS. OUR NEXT GUEST ATTENDED ONE OF THE SENATOR’S ROUND TABLES THIS PAST FALL AND WAS THEN INVITED TO WASHINGTON FOR THE STATE OF THE UNION. 22-YEAR-OLD BRITNEY WOODS ATTENDS UW-PARKSIDE. BRITNEY, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US.

BRITNEY WOODS:

NO PROBLEM. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

SO I WANTED TO ASK FIRST HOW PROUD IS YOUR FAMILY THAT YOU WERE CHOSEN TO GO TO WASHINGTON?

BRITNEY WOODS:

MY FAMILY IS EXTREMELY PROUD, NOT EVEN JUST MY FAMILY, BUT PEOPLE FROM THE COMMUNITY THAT HAVE KNOWN ME, THAT HAVE SEEN ME GROW UP. THEY’RE JUST SO HAPPY FOR ME. AND ALL THE LOVE AND THE SUPPORT THAT THEY HAVE BEEN GIVING ME HAS REALLY TOUCHED MY SPIRIT. SO I’M APPRECIATIVE OF THAT.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

NOW, I KNOW THAT THE INVITE CAME AFTER YOU MET WITH THE SENATOR CONCERNING COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY. WHAT IS YOUR CIRCUMSTANCE AND HOW ARE YOU PAYING FOR YOUR STUDIES?

BRITNEY WOODS:

WELL, MY CIRCUMSTANCE IS, YOU KNOW, THE SAME AS A LOT OF OTHER STUDENTS THAT ARE ATTENDING COLLEGE RIGHT NOW. YOU KNOW, WORKING MULTIPLE JOBS JUST TO KEEP UP WITH BILLS AND TUITION, TRYING TO BALANCE ACADEMICS AND FINANCES WHILE IN SCHOOL. ALL OF THOSE THINGS, YOU KNOW, IS SOMETHING THAT I SEE WITH NOT ONLY MYSELF, BUT MY PEERS AS WELL. SO I KNOW THAT IT’S A COMMON STRUGGLE RIGHT NOW.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

YEAH. BECAUSE WHAT KIND OF BARRIER DOES THAT REPRESENT FOR YOU AND YOUR PEERS? AND HOW HARD IS IT TO JUGGLE THAT LOAD OF SCHOOL AND WORK?

BRITNEY WOODS:

WELL, I MEAN, I THINK THE BARRIER REALLY IS JUST TRYING TO STAY IN SCHOOL WHEN YOU HAVE TO MANAGE ACADEMICS AND FINANCES. A LOT OF PEOPLE DROP OUT FOR THOSE REASONS, BECAUSE THEY AREN’T ABLE TO MANAGE. AND I’M SORRY. I MISSED THE LAST QUESTION YOU SAID?

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WELL, THAT’S JUST WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT, KIND OF THE STAYING IN SCHOOL AS A BARRIER AND THEN THE JUGGLE TO BOTH GET GOOD GRADES —

BRITNEY WOODS:

RIGHT.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

— AND, YOU KNOW, GO TO WORK.

BRITNEY WOODS:

RIGHT. BECAUSE EVERYBODY WHEN THEY COME TO COLLEGE, THEY WANT TO BE SUCCESSFUL, OF COURSE. THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY’RE GETTING GOOD GRADES SO THAT WHATEVER THEY GO ON TO DO, THEY HAVE A GOOD RESUME BEHIND THEM. BUT WHEN YOU HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT KEEPING UP WITH BILLS AND THEN ALSO THINKING ABOUT MANAGING DEBT IN THE FUTURE, IT CAN BE A LOT TO CARRY.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

NOW, WE’VE JUST DESCRIBED A RAFT OF PROPOSALS FROM STATE AND NATIONAL LAWMAKERS FROM REFINANCING OF STUDENT LOANS TO TWO YEARS OF FREE COMMUNITY COLLEGE, NOT HAVING WORK EARNINGS REDUCE FINANCIAL AID TO THINGS LIKE TAX DEDUCTIONS. YOU HAVE SOME POLICY PRESCRIPTIONS YOURSELF. WHAT DO YOU THINK WOULD BE MOST HELPFUL TO STUDENTS LIKE YOURSELF AND OTHERS?

BRITNEY WOODS:

WELL, I THINK ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU JUST MENTIONED ARE GREAT FIRST STEPS TOWARDS TACKLING THE ISSUE OF COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY AND THE NATIONAL STUDENT DEBT CRISIS. I THINK THAT WE NEED TO START DOING THE WORK TO PUT THOSE THINGS INTO ACTION. OTHER THAN THAT, I TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, RESOURCES BEING IN THE COMMUNITY, PULLING THE YOUTH IN BEFOREHAND, BEFORE THEY GET TO COLLEGE, TALKING TO THEM ABOUT THE WAY THAT GRANTS WORK, THE WAY THAT LOANS WORK, EVEN PROGRAMS THAT SET THEM UP WITH SCHOLARSHIPS FOR BEING A PART OF THEIR PROGRAM. ALL OF THOSE THINGS I THINK WOULD HELP WITH DEALING WITH THE ISSUE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

BECAUSE WHEN YOU WERE IN HIGH SCHOOL, WERE YOU AWARE OF THOSE KINDS OF ISSUES?

BRITNEY WOODS:

I WAS NOT AT ALL. I WAS TOLD ALL MY LIFE THAT, YOU KNOW, I NEEDED TO GO TO COLLEGE, I NEEDED TO INVEST IN MY FUTURE, BUT TO HAVE SOMEBODY TO ACTUALLY SIT DOWN WITH ME AND TALK TO ME ABOUT THE PROCESS AND HOW TO PREPARE FOR COLLEGE, YOU KNOW, BUDGETING, JUST LITTLE THINGS, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? AT MY SCHOOL WE HAD ADVISERS AND COUNSELORS, BUT THEY HAD SUCH A LARGE WORKLOAD AND THEN ALSO A LOT OF STUDENTS THAT THEY HAD TO, YOU KNOW, LOOK AFTER THAT THEY WEREN’T ABLE TO GIVE US THAT ONE-ON-ONE TIME AS MUCH TO HELP US PREPARE FOR COLLEGE. SO EVEN HAVING LIAISONS IN THE HIGH SCHOOLS TO HELP BE A BRIDGE BETWEEN HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE WOULD BE A GREAT INITIATIVE AS WELL.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

DO YOU FEEL AS THOUGH THE MESSAGE THAT COLLEGE IS HARD TO AFFORD AND EVEN HARDER TO PAY BACK THE DEBT AFTERWARDS IS BEING HEARD INCREASINGLY BY POLICYMAKERS?

BRITNEY WOODS:

I BELIEVE THAT THERE’S — YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO RECOGNIZE THAT IT IS A REAL ISSUE. YOU KNOW, THE WAY THAT THINGS WORK NOWADAYS, A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA IS JUST NOT ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO COMPETE IN THE JOB MARKET. SO IF WE REALLY WANT TO INVEST IN OUR FUTURE AND MAKE SURE THE FUTURE GENERATIONS ARE ABLE TO MAKE A WAY FOR THEMSELVES, WE REALLY NEED TO LOOK AT THIS ISSUE AND MAKE SURE WE ARE SETTING THEM UP FOR SUCCESS AND GIVING THEM ALL THE RESOURCES THAT THEY NEED IN ORDER TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN COLLEGE AND AFTER.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHAT’S YOUR ASPIRATIONS AFTER GRADUATION?

BRITNEY WOODS:

WELL, ONE, GRADUATING. THAT IS MY MAIN FOCUS RIGHT NOW. I CANNOT WAIT TO GRADUATE. AND THEN AFTER, ONE OF MY LONG-TERM GOALS IS HAVING A COMMUNITY CENTER IN MY HOMETOWN, RACINE, WISCONSIN. YOU KNOW, GIVING BACK TO MY COMMUNITY AND GIVING BACK TO THE YOUTH IS SOMETHING THAT I’M REALLY PASSIONATE ABOUT. I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE A PLACE WHERE THEY ARE SAFE, WHERE THEY FEEL THAT THEY ARE IMPORTANT AND SPECIAL AND THEY HAVE PEOPLE POURING POSITIVITY INTO THEM, WHERE THEY CAN LEARN ABOUT THEIR CULTURE, THEY CAN LEARN ABOUT THE ARTS, A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT THINGS. BUT YEAH, JUST DOING WORK IN MY COMMUNITY IS WHAT I WANT TO DO.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

ALL RIGHT. WELL, BRITNEY WOODS, THANKS VERY MUCH. I SEE WHY THE SENATOR INVITED YOU TO WASHINGTON.

BRITNEY WOODS:

OH, THANK YOU SO MUCH. HAVE A GOOD DAY.