Advertising

The Seattle Times Company

NWjobs | NWautos | NWhomes | NWsource | Free Classifieds | seattletimes.com

The Seattle Times

Local News


Our network sites seattletimes.com | Advanced

Originally published Sunday, October 5, 2008 at 12:00 AM

Comments (0)     E-mail article     Print view

New rules help teachers, others wipe out debt

Erin Shea McCann graduated from Seattle University last year with a law degree and $47,000 in student loans. She also had $7,000 in credit-card...

Seattle Times higher education reporter

Indentured Graduates

Paying back the high cost of college

Erin Shea McCann graduated from Seattle University last year with a law degree and $47,000 in student loans. She also had $7,000 in credit-card debt.

Still, McCann found a way to successfully juggle the comparatively low-paying legal youth work she's passionate about with her student-loan commitments.

She won a two-year fellowship to pursue public-interest law through a nonprofit group called Equal Justice Works, which pays her $44,000 salary at Columbia Legal Services. She's currently working on the settlement in a class-action suit to improve the foster-care system.

And she doesn't need to pay anything from her own pocket toward her loans, if she so chooses.

Due to the nature of her work, she gets loan contributions from Equal Justice, Columbia Legal and Seattle U. If she sticks with public-interest law, she likely will qualify for a federal program that would wipe out any remaining federal loans after 10 years.

Students who want to pursue public-interest work in their chosen field can apply for a number of competitive grants and fellowships.

Under amendments to the Higher Education Act passed into law this year, the federal government has significantly expanded its loan-forgiveness program in areas of "national need." Teachers, engineers, law-enforcement officers, even dentists and medical researchers can qualify for loan-forgiveness programs.

Among the big winners in the bill are public defenders and state or local prosecutors. Those who remain employed for at least three years can get their loans repaid by the federal government at a rate of up to $10,000 per year, to a maximum of $60,000.

Despite the help with her loans, McCann still faces a tight financial situation. Her husband, a teacher, is in graduate school, and the couple expects to take on another $40,000 in loans before he's back earning money in the classroom.

When they married this year, McCann bought a dress off Craigslist and they held the ceremony on the beach. They rent a basement apartment.

"We went into this with our eyes wide open. We both feel a conviction about the work we do," McCann says. "That doesn't mean it's not difficult when we watch our friends. We see them buying a house, and that's a long way off for us."

Nick Perry: 206-515-5639 or nperry@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company

More Local News headlines...

E-mail article Print view      Share:    Digg     Newsvine

Comments
No comments have been posted to this article. Start the conversation.

advertising

Seattle Times Fund For The Needy offers opportunity to give

Tugboat sinks in Seattle's waterfront

Child-support error costs nearly $21,000

Danny Westneat: Bonus for supe with a B minus?

Nicole Brodeur: You have more to spare than you think you do

Advertising

Video

LA Galaxy's David Beckham
Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham talks about the upcoming MLS Cup final during after a team practice.

Real Salt Lake's Kyle Beckerman
MLS trophy arrives in Seattle
Chittenden Locks Inspection
Interview with New Moon actors
Full interview with New Moon actors
Artistic Roller Skating
Girls Soccer: Mercer Island vs. Glacier Peak
Smash Putt! Miniature Golf
Opening day at Crystal Mountain

Marketplace

nwautos

2009's most fuel-efficient sedansnew
Choosing a new sedan? Weigh the impact of your choice on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment

Open Houses

Find this weekend's open house listings.
Or search by location:

 
Most read
Most commented
Most e-mailed
 
 
Advertising