“There’s a lot of students in our family, and tuition and student loans are a reality.”

Three University of Iowa undergraduates share how Hillary’s student loan plans will help their generation.

Money shouldn’t impede intellectual curiosity. But for too many students in Iowa, where student loan debt now exceeds $12 billion, it does.

“A lot of my friends,” says Hailey Verdick, “a lot of kids from my high school, went to Kirkwood Community College instead of Iowa, just because that was the cheaper option for them.” Hailey’s a freshman at the University of Iowa, and though she caucused for Bernie Sanders during the primary, she can’t wait to vote for Hillary Clinton in the general election — her first time voting.

Eight years ago, she says, “I remember asking my mom like, ‘Mom, who is the good one? Who is the one that we want to win?’ And she said, ‘Oh, Hillary Clinton.’ And my mom was right, like most other things.”

In Iowa, two out of three new graduates from a four-year university are in debt, a statistic that is very real for Lindsey Rayner, a University of Iowa junior, and her family. “I have a younger sister who just started college this year,” Lindsey says, “and my mother is also going back to get another master’s degree. So there’s a lot of students in our family at this time, and tuition and student loans are a reality.”

I like how Hillary herself attended public schools.

For Lindsey, who’s interested in a career in non-profits, it’s the diversity and breadth of Hillary’s loan plans that appeal to her. Under Hillary Clinton, not only will families making less than $125,000 be eligible for free in-state tuition at public universities, but students who have already graduated from college with debt will be able to refinance their loans at current rates, which will help over 311,000 Iowans.

“Something specific that I saw on Hillary’s site” that impressed Lindsey, she says, “was the public service, the loan forgiveness” for AmeriCorps members and teachers in high-need areas. “I thought that was incredible, because it’s encouraging other people to get out and give back.”

For Abby Simon, another freshman, Hillary’s commitment to helping students and recent graduates makes sense. “I like how she herself attended public schools,” Abby says. “I think that she recognizes the importance of our public school system, and how vital it is to have a strong public school system to help further our democracy.”

For young Hillary supporters like Hailey, Lindsey, and Abby, the choice for Iowa this election couldn’t be clearer. “If you look at the candidate choices,” Lindsey points out, “it’s either someone who cares and understands and is looking towards that, and is working to make education affordable and accessible. The other option” is someone who acts “as though education is only for that top one percent at the top, and is only for the people who can find the money and figure it out themselves.”

“I feel as though Hillary’s plan,” she says, “is more the idea of, We’re going to help support you to make sure you’re a successful citizen here in the United States.”