About one in nine Delawareans carry some form of student debt, according to a report from the White House last year.
Sen. Tom Carper met with officials and students at Delaware Tech and Delaware State University this week to talk about college affordability.
On Friday, Carper spoke with a few students at Delaware State University who were awarded the Inspire scholarship, which helps offset the cost of tuition for high-performing in-state students.
“Out of mouth of babes comes a lot of wisdom. And today we heard just great wisdom from students here. One of the questions I asked them was: What do you wish you’d known in when you were in high school that you know now? Among the things they mentioned now is to plan early," said Carper.
At the roundtable, attendees discussed financial anxieties, strategies that the Inspire scholars had developed during college and advice that the scholars would give current high school students. Inspire scholar Keda Dorsica dispensed advice about applying to scholarships.
“Make sure that you’re involved with your school counselors because they have a lot of ins that we don’t know about," said Dorsica.
Dorsica is hoping to attend Widener University Delaware Law School when she graduates.
One official who attended was Stephen Ampersand, DSU’s assistant vice president for financial aid. Though he’s had this position in less than two years, he’s worked for several higher education institutions in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware. And he’s eager to find solutions for students, especially those like the Inspire scholars.
“When you’ve got academic scholars approaching graduation, scrambling to find ways to get across the finish line. To me, that puts a fire in my belly," said Ampersand. "It makes me want to champion and advocate for that kind of support, make sure we don’t get them here and leave them high and dry when it matters the most.”
According to a report last year, the average class of 2015 graduate owe more than $35,000 in student loan debt. That’s more than twice the amount that graduates had to pay back 20 years ago.