Ben D: How Teachers are Struggling to Navigate Student Debt During The Pandemic

Ben was working for a nonprofit in Portland when he discovered his passion for teaching. He was in his late 20s when he transitioned into the teaching profession but did not have a four year teaching degree. He was able to get his degree in science education while working full time but still had to take on student loans.

”I had to work 30 hours a week and go to school at the same time and that doesn’t even cover all of your expenses. And so I saw there was a conversation on student loans being held by the Portland Teachers Association and mentioned that there had been an agreement between Savi and NEA and a special deal for NEA members.”

The rest is history, says Ben.

“I was a detail-oriented person and knew I could navigate the process, but it was great timing with Savi to help me navigate and answer the questions that I didn’t even know.”

“Anyone going into a federal loan forgiveness program knows that you need to always be asking questions, and having Savi as a resource was invaluable.”

Starting teacher salaries in the Portland area with a Masters degree starts at about $50,000 even though living expenses with a family are very high for the area. Ben’s monthly payments were going to be $800–900/mo if he had to pay them normally. Thankfully, Savi helped Ben into an IDR plan and navigate the trickiness of the loans and forms.