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VT U.S. Representative Welch Collects Student Debt Stories

Rep. Peter Welch
photo provided

Vermont's U.S. Representative Peter Welch is compiling stories about student debt.  WAMC's North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley reports... 

Welch was at the University of Vermont on Monday where he met with students, some of whom are working multiple jobs and studying full time as they accumulate student loan debt.

Ann Nguyen from Keene, N.H., says she could graduate with $100,000 in debt. The 20-year-old junior political science major is the child of Vietnamese immigrants and is the first in her family to go to college. She's worried about how she will pay back the loans.  She’s worried about how she will pay back the loans…

“It’s just stupid that they’re going to be doing this to students that need education.  Students like me are the future of the America and you shouldn’t be burdening us with so much debt.”    

Congress is working to avoid a doubling of the Federal Direct Stafford Student Loan interest rates scheduled on July 1 to 6.8 percent.

In Vermont, almost 70 percent of college graduates have an average of $30,000 in debt. 

I’m Pat Bradley, WAMC News. 

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