Steve Pederzani wanted to go to law school.
After graduating from college and working as a social worker, Pederzani wanted to go to law school and become a lawyer. He thought taking out student loans would be worth it because he was told that a law degree would leave him well off and give him a roof over his head.
I don't want to think about when the next meal is going to be because I grew up in a working class family. Pederzani does not want to worry about putting food on his plate. Everyone said that I wouldn't have to worry about those things.
After graduating from law school, Pederzani has over $300,000 in student debt. He took out graduate PLUS loans to attend Seattle University School of Law, which allowed him to cover the full cost of tuition, but medical problems with his fiancée delayed him from taking the bar exam, and their collective incomes took a big hit.
Pederzani was forced to move to Nebraska to live with his fiancée's family because he couldn't afford Seattle rent. Rental assistance and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are what they use to live in Albuquerque. The most expensive type of federal loan with the highest interest rate is called a graduate plus loan. President Joe Biden is expected to include student loan forgiveness for undergrad borrowers making under $150,000 in his relief plan.
Pederzani said he would pay back the amount he borrowed. He would like to. He wanted more people to know that high-paying jobs don't benefit everyone.
There are people who would find a lot of relief from Joe Biden. There are a lot of people like me that aren't being remembered. We're being overlooked.
Pederzani took out student loans to cover the full cost of attendance because he assumed he'd get a job after graduation and make enough money to pay off his loans. It hasn't been the case for him. He reached out to his alma mater for help in finding a job after postponing his bar exam.
He was able to work as a clerk at a personal-injury firm for a short time but moved to New Mexico during the Pandemic and jobs were hard to come by.
He has been unable to keep a steady income. He is on an income-driven repayment plan that allows him to make $0 monthly payments on his student loans, but he said it would take a lottery win or buried treasure to get out from under it.
Pederzani said that they are not doing well. It's not true that lawyers have instant tickets to the middle class. The job market is no longer the same.
Biden has said on many occasions that those who got advanced degrees from prestigious institutions, like Harvard or the University of Pennsylvania, didn't need student debt relief. Taxpayers would have to pay the law school loans of a lawyer earning $300,000 if Biden canceled student debt.
—Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) June 1, 2022
According to the Education Department, about 70% of law students leave school with debt. According to a survey by the American Bar Association in 2020, law school debt can cause some graduates to "lie awake at night worried" that they won't be able to buy a house or marry.
Pederzani said he put off buying a house and adopting a child because of his debts. He hopes he can pay it off one day, but it's not something he's thinking about at the moment.
Pederzani said they don't have enough money for rent. Paying off student loans is not on my mind at the moment.
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