Back on track with days remaining!
Hi all,
WHAT a journey it has been. I had THREE months left on half of my loans and TWO month left on the other half when the SAVE plan was halted and I have been waiting for any sort of movement, anything, for nearly two years.
I tried buyback in November of 2024. Still waiting. I tried to get those two months of forbearance (remember the "wet signatures"?) that were promised, which would have eliminated half my loans. Nope.
Then, in August of 2025 I started to see the light at the end of the tunnel—I was finally being taken off SAVE and placed on income-based in September. Amazing news, right? Well in mid-August the environmental nonprofit I was working for was hit hard by US AID cuts andddd—I was laid off for the first time in my life. A month before my payments started again (and, fun side note, two weeks after getting back from parental leave!)
I had my loans put in a hardship forbearance, which was easy enough and the person at Mohela was extremely kind and helpful. I had a new job in two months. BUT, the process of getting back on income-based and getting off my forbearance took four months. I just had to wait around for it to kick in again—they told me it would take at least 120 days to get my account active again. In that time frame I had to switch jobs again because the one I frantically took was a horrible fit.
I was able to get one month of my interim job covered for March, and I just submitted April as well, and after nearly two years of waiting, and now 12 years being on this program, I am seeing green bars and 120s on 2/3s of my loans (I actually had three other loans forgiven in July of 2024—god, whatever forbearances I did over those 12 years that got me on this schedule was certainly not worth it)
On May 17 I am making my final payment towards those last three loans and, barring an asteroid strike on my house that I am certainly not discounting, I am finally free of my student loans! I grew up very poor in Appalachia. My parents never went to college, and thanks to the loans (and this program!) I went to an amazing school and have worked at a major cultural institution in New York City, for the world's largest environmental nonprofit, travelled the world for work, and expanded my horizons and opportunities in ways that would have seemed unimaginable to me as a child.
Despite all the hiccups and the efforts of those in power who would wish to keep such opportunities away from people like me, I remain incredibly, incredibly grateful for this life changing (and sustaining, and flourishing) program.