I have over $65,000 in student loan debt. It didn't start out at that amount, but built gradually over the years. I don't think about it daily, but I never forget it is there.

Throughout my time in public school, I was aimed toward college. I worked as hard as possible to achieve, to add extra curricular activities to my list, to prepare myself in every way I could to head to college. In my senior year, just before graduation, my mother came to me and told me there was no money to send me to college. I was angry. I felt cheated. I always knew we were poor, but there had never been a conversation about this, not during any of the time prior, not during all that work I was putting toward success. I insisted I was going to school, I didn't care how, but I would find a way.