We Will One Day Live
by Jasmine Davis
Let’s face it, you probably woke up this morning to do the same routine you did yesterday: working long hours at a job that barely ignites a single flame of fulfilment, and barely gets you by, let alone covers a gasp-worthy amount of student debt. Have you ever wondered why many of us survive, but don’t live? We exist and resist, but merely drift through the days, almost on the waitlist of our ideal lives. We are told we can be anything we want to be, as kids, but grow up to drown in debt and die with loans, often for a profession that barely covers cost of living and lacks our true passion.
Just in Colorado alone, over 743,000 people have student loan debt, but we have the power to do something about it. We have the power to help people embody a life where they can feel alive, not just be it. We have the power to reinvent a world where we can actually live, not just survive. Not just get by. Not just wake up to a mundane life where we are stretching thin only to live paycheck to paycheck.
So how can we change the world? By securing protections for student loan borrowers. Private Student Loan Protections, which is being introduced in the CO State Senate, is a crucial step in the process of attaining a world like this, especially for marginalized communities such as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and those most impacted by the devastating effects of private student loans. Not only would this legislation improve the lives of Coloradans, but this set of student loan protections will be some of the most equitable, clear, and extensive in the entire country. Coloradans will be more protected and attain access to the knowledge and rights they have always deserved.
This bill would protect cosigners, require companies to inform borrowers about all repayment options, expand disability discharge requirements, address abuses that occur in courts, hold predatory players accountable, and so much more. Rights and knowledge that Coloradans should have been given from the start. Think about how much more passion, liveliness, love, and equity will be flowing through the hearts and souls of every person in this state when we have the power to be who we want and live how we want, instead of wasting time away, miserable and barely getting by to work off endless loans. And it starts with you. We must demand change. We must demand to be heard. We must see the urgency in this bill so this world can be full of passion and authentic truths. Especially if it doesn’t directly affect you, you can uplift others. And if you are affected by this crisis, your story is important. Your voice matters; use it to amplify the unheard so we can repaint the world brighter. Call on your lawmaker today to demand that they pass the Private Student Loan Protections Bill.
