I support President Obama because he supports me. As a full-time graduate student at the University of Nevada, Reno, I’ve struggled to pay for my education. Grad school tuition is already very costly, but for me it’s even higher because I’m an out-of-state student. But thanks to President Obama’s policies to make college more affordable, I’ve been able to access increased financial aid that wasn’t available to me before. Now I have three loans and work on campus part-time to get my Master’s in American government.
Best of all, his extension of tax credits for college students has made it so I receive at least $2,000 on tax refunds each year, meaning I can start paying back my loans right away. When I graduate, I can also consolidate my loans and pay them back based on my income, not at a flat rate. President Obama’s federal aid policies have allowed me to continue my education without a looming mountain of debt. I can only begin to tell you what a sigh of relief that represents for me.
I’m thankful our president understands that Americans should be able to afford education without having to borrow money from family members (who might also be struggling financially). While I was lucky enough to have supportive parents who helped me pay for my undergraduate degree, they couldn’t afford to help me pay for grad school. And as much as I appreciate my parents helping me before, I love not having to rely on them and being able to pay on my own merit.
That’s why I spend what little time I have left after school and work volunteering at my local field office. I’m on the phones calling supporters twice a week and canvassing my neighborhood on the weekends. I also try to discuss the President’s polices whenever I can to show people how he’s helping our country move forward. I tell them that we have to reelect the President and protect the progress we’ve made for students like me – if it weren’t for President Obama, I honestly wouldn’t be in grad school right now.
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