I was already in much of a transition with moving myself over three hundred miles away from home to attend the college of my dreams but the transition grew bigger and in a different light after my father's passing; I became overwhelmed with my finances as much as my academics and well-being. My family has been in a financial hole ever since; three incomes dropped down to one, a mother working overtime to keep her three kids safe and sound.

Before I left for my first day at college, my father told me to focus on my schoolwork while he and my mom handle the money. I would not have pursued the journey of college if I did not believe his words. I was able to maintain above a 2.5 GPA for my freshman year and keep the scholarship awarded to me by the institution. I was blessed enough to go to my dream school knowing that it was not going to be a walk on the park with academics, now that battle is even harder with only one parent to support me. He missed out on helping me move into my freshman dorm room to attend his veteran affairs appointment because he wanted to receive 100% disability benefits for me not to worry about student loans that he was thankfully granted in October. I was gratefully excited for this opportunity as it was the closest that I was to getting a full-tuition scholarship.

We were led to the military covering all of my institutional fees but to only receive a Dependents' Educational Assistance check for $1,021.00 which is greatly appreciated nonetheless but it still leaves trying to come up with over another thousand dollars for just one child's monthly school bill along with tending to others' needs and paying for major expenses regarding the permanent residence.

We tried our absolute best to keep everything afloat but the total amount between my scholarships and the allowance were not enough to keep me from taking out loans. I had to take out $12,000 at one time to backpay from sophomore year's fall semester and cover the remains of my spring semester. My student housing was threatened to be cancelled multiple times because I was trying to make ends meet so more and more loans were taken out. I have roughly $20,000 now with no real idea on how to pay it off.

Recent college grads are already trying to figure adulthood out whether it's a new job, just got married, or moving back home. Student loans do nothing but make that season stressful and more complicated