LaQuinta Layton of Lewisville graduated in December 2020 from Dallas Baptist University with a dual master’s degree.
"My master’s degrees are actually master’s in Business Administration and actually a master’s in Christian Ministries," LaQuinta Layton said.
Taking on some student loan debt was part of her journey to achieve this goal.
"It's something that you acquire to basically be able to improve your situation, but it's something that is daunting," Layton said.
She's not alone. According to the Federal Reserve and educationdata.org, more than 42 million Americans owe about $1.7 trillion in federal student loan debt. The average debt amount is approximately $36,000 per student.
Layton's total comes in under the average, but still, she's thankful for the extension as are many graduates whose plans have changed because of COVID-19.
"Okay on top of this I have this student loan that I took out with the hopes of acquiring a really amazing job and I may not be able to get out in that job market right now because of the pandemic,” Layton said. “So being able to have that relief of additional months is a blessing I would say."
The extension is for eight months. So Layton advises people to get prepared sooner rather than later.
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"With every benefit, there comes a responsibility,” Layton said. “So, I hope that even though we've been given this opportunity to have this extended, that we take that opportunity to save up and prepare and anticipate those payments when they do come so that they don't overwhelm us."
