Temple’s first-generation students have faced financial challenges that threaten their academic journey, from navigating financial difficulties, career uncertainty and the back-and-forth promise of student loan forgiveness.

Susan Mathuram, president of Temple First and a first generation immigrant student, said the pressures of student loan repayment can be especially overwhelming. 

“When [former President Joe] Biden’s debt cancellation announcement came through, we were hopeful,” Mathuram said. “But we quickly realized that with political guardrails, most of us weren’t going to be able to access it.”

Temple First, an organization dedicated to supporting first-generation students at the university, consists of students from low-income backgrounds with little access to generational wealth or financial guidance. First-gen students can be burdened with student loans they may not fully understand, often with few resources to navigate the complexities of the financial aid system.

First-generation students also graduate at just 20% compared to 49% for their continuing-generation peers, according to the Center for First Generation Student Success. 

The Biden administration’s promise of up to $20,000 in debt cancellation for Pell Grant recipients and $10,000 for other low or middle-income households was seen as a lifeline for many eligible, first-gen students. However, the reality of these promises has not played out as expected. 

The student loan forgiveness program, which young progressives initially met with enthusiasm,  faced significant pushback from legal challenges like the judicial branch approval, leaving many first-generation students uncertain about their futures.

STUDENT EXPERIENCES

First-generation students are 1.5 times more likely to borrow money to attend college than their continuing-generation peers, and they often accumulate more debt during the course of their academic careers, according to the Postsecondary National Policy Institute. 

The same report notes that first-gen students are more likely to borrow from federal loans, and they often take longer to pay off their loans after graduation.

Biden’s promises for debt relief were the main reason senior journalism major David Dacosta voted for him in 2020. Dacosta grew up in a family where his father didn’t graduate high school and is now navigating the complex world of student loans. 

Despite securing loans, scholarships and working throughout his time at Temple, Dacosta’s financial situation remains precarious.

“There’s no real work-life balance,” Dacosta said. “The work is just surviving.”

For many students like Dacosta, attending college means a constant struggle with finances. Even when students do manage to access scholarships, some do not feel supported enough.

First-generation students are not only more likely to be low-income, but they also carry more debt than their continuing-generation peers. Students typically take on more debt due to their financial circumstances, according to PNPI. 

First-gen students also borrow more than their continuing-gen peers and often face more challenges in paying off their loans after graduation. While the average debt for first-gen students at graduation is around $25,000, continuing-generation students graduate with an average of $18,000 in debt.

Alayah Osullivan had a complicated journey following the loss of her mother, who was her primary support system. Her financial situation remains unstable despite receiving scholarships and working as a research assistant.

“We don’t have the same foundation as someone who’s had parents with bachelor’s or master’s degrees,” said Osullivan, a junior neuroscience major. “We’re building our own foundation.”

Many first-generation students are left to fend for themselves once they begin college. 

Sean Andrei Dela Torre, an electrical engineering graduate student, remembers the struggles he faced when navigating his own financial journey. 

“It was hard for me because my parents couldn’t teach me about the application process,” Dela Torre said. “I had to rely on others for guidance, and even then, landing internships was difficult.”

Nancy Garcia is paying off her student loans, and like Dela Torre, she also feels the weight of her debt daily.

“[Student loans affect] me every day, and it will definitely affect my future,” said Garcia, a junior psychology major. “I understand what I signed up for, but I feel like it’s unfair that some students, especially first-gen students, aren’t forgiven for their loans.”

Loan payments often make it harder to save for big milestones, like buying a house. These payments can even delay career choices as the pressure of debt looms for students.

In 2021, more than 550,000 borrowers benefited from the Biden-Harris administration, which made loan forgiveness for public service workers a priority. But such relief has not reached first-generation students at Temple who pursue degrees outside this sector.

Garcia believes that extending forgiveness to all students, regardless of their post-college plans, is critical.

“Every student should be forgiven,” Garcia said. “I feel like they need to take this policy seriously. It really impacts our lives.”

Temple First made it a priority to provide mentorship, professional development resources and hands-on financial guidance to students like Dela Torre. The club also connects students with partners like the Collective Success Network, which helps first-gen students navigate both academic and professional challenges.

Despite securing a well-paying job as a nuclear engineer with a current salary of around six figures, which allows him to cover his loan payments, Dela Torre still has a monthly plan to pay his student loans. Currently, he owes between the range of $20,000-$25,000. 

“[Loan forgiveness is] a very good opportunity for [first-gen students] to get higher education, especially for those who don’t have the financial support from their parents,” Dela Torre said.

Temple First provides workshops on professional development and financial literacy to make up for students’ potential gaps in knowledge. 

But even with these resources, as students like Dacosta, Garcia and Osullivan struggle to balance their academic goals with the pressure of loan repayment, they wonder if they can ever afford the future they envision.

This disparity is even more apparent when considering the long-term impact of debt. First-gen students often take longer to pay off their loans and are more likely to experience financial hardship after graduation, according to PNPI.

“It’s disheartening to know that I’ve done everything I was told to do,” Osullivan said. “I’ve worked hard to maintain a good GPA, but the system still seems stacked against us. It’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

For Temple’s first-gen students, student loan forgiveness was more than just a political promise – it was a lifeline.

“First-generation students should not have to carry the weight of debt alone,” Garcia said. “We need more advocacy for loan forgiveness, especially for students who don’t have the financial safety net that others do.”

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S PLANS

Republicans have generally opposed broad student loan forgiveness initiatives, favoring alternative approaches to address student debt. House Republicans are considering measures like introducing new taxes on college scholarships, ending certain student loan repayment plans and significantly increasing taxes on university endowments from 1.4% to 14%. 

These proposals aim to offset the cost of tax cuts President Donald Trump introduced in his first term. However, these recommendations are still evolving.

“The future looks uncertain since there seems to be a lot of changes in the governmental structure right now, so honestly I don’t know,” Dela Torre said.

Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman reintroduced the ​​Protecting Taxpayers from Student Loan Bailouts Act. If approved by the Department of Education, this bill would prevent future student loan forgiveness efforts. 

While Republicans like New York U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler have proposed reforms to student loan programs, like reducing interest rates, these efforts are not focused on increasing broad debt forgiveness. 

Until government plans are resolved, many fear the burden of student loans will continue to fall on those who need greater support.

“I was never dead set on just getting forgiveness from Biden,” Dacosta said. “But Biden’s spending did not focus on student loans as he had initially promised, and I’m not confident that student loan forgiveness will be a priority in Trump’s administration.”