Elizabeth vs. Sallie Mae
Cange.org
As an Army nurse at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, DC, Elizabeth Mondo cares for wounded soldiers coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan every day. At first, the work was grueling. It still is, but now she can't imagine not serving these soldiers and her country. That's why Elizabeth recently re-enlisted for a second tour of duty.
But she was shocked to learn that her student loan provider, Sallie Mae, won't allow servicemen and women to defer on their private student loans for as long as they're on active duty.
With expected monthly payments as high as $1,800, Elizabeth feels like Sallie Mae is blind to the sacrifices servicemen and women are making to serve their country. That's why she started a petition on Change.org asking Sallie Mae to grant her a deferment on her student loans for as long as she's actively serving in the military -- and to do the same for all other members of the U.S. military.
Elizabeth is not alone. While many loan providers, including the federal government, do offer deferment for all active duty military personnel, Sallie Mae currently offers only 3 years of loan deferment for members of the military -- even if they're soldiers deployed overseas serving in active combat, and despite rising re-enlistment rates.
But Elizabeth knows that Sallie Mae can be swayed -- and that public outcry is critical. In fact, she started her petition after hearing how unemployed college grad Stef Gray used a petition on Change.org to get Sallie Mae to reform its policy of levying extra fees on people who were unemployed. And she knows that her petition can have the same kind of impact, if enough people sign on.
| Tell Sallie Mae: Defer student loan repayment for active duty members of the U.S. military |
 |
Thanks for being a changemaker,
- William and the Change.org team