Hello to all. My name is Tobin Hunter and I need your assistance badly.
I am a 68-year-old Senior Citizen who has a student loan that is wreaking havoc in my life and finances. Here is the background of my story. For the years of my early school years, I was made to think I had a learning disability and could not perform academically on a passing standard. I performed horribly in Jr. & Senior High School and therefore did not pass courses I needed to graduate from High School. Two years past my graduation date and watching many of my peers go on to higher education, I decided to attempt to get my GED. I did not want to sit through courses to help strengthen my learning, so I went and took the test without preparation. Surprisingly I surprised myself and passed the test and received my GED.
Two years after that to enroll in Community College. That did not go well at all and I gave up on ever going again. The armed Forces was out of the question because I could not handle authority over me because of the way I was horribly treated as a child by my parents. For the next 30 years, I went through several addictions and job after job after job attempting to find an area of work that I could do to support myself for life. That was to no avail. I despaired my life and attempted to end it several times during this span. Obviously, I failed at that also.
Through much pain and anguish, I decided at age 49 to try one more time at higher education hoping I could obtain a degree in something and enrolled in community college again. I knew in my heart I could not fail anymore and did all I knew to do to have success at learning and earned a degree in Paralegal Studies with a 2.89 average. As I was passing courses, I began to dream big setting a goal of being a Constitutional/Civil Rights lawyer despite being the age I was. After receiving my Associates degree, I moved to Georgia to pursue my Bachelors Degree. Because my GPA wasn’t good enough to receive any scholarships I applied for, I had to take out a student loan to do so. After three years of courses, I did earn it but my LSAT’s weren’t high enough to enroll into law school. I had no money to speak of after graduation and no place I could reside at and had no money to move back home, I decided to stay there and attempt to earn my Master’s degree in which I had to take out several student loans. I did earn my Masters and realized I had a massive student loan obligation. I was able to earn just enough money to move back home and did so.
AT age 57, after spending a couple of months in a shelter, I was able to obtain work that paid decently but not in my degree field. Because of this I spiraled again into despair, but was able to begin to make payments towards my student loan debt, but when COVID hit, I lost that job and had to take any work I could find but was not able to pay on my loan debt at all for the next six years. I lost housing among other things because of it. I am now 68 receiving social security which barely covers living expenses and living in a motel. I have made payment arrangements and have taken as many deferments allowed and because of my age, I am not able to find any work that will allow me to make payments.
I am in dire straits because I recently discovered the government will start to garnish those who haven’t made arrangements and are behind in payments which will include senior citizens on social security. I have never been the type of person to ask for assistance in recent years because I have been able to make some kind of way for myself because so many people have let me down when I did ask for their assistance. I am truly embarrassed concerning my situation to even ask for help, but I need $10,000 dollars, which is nowhere near the amount owed, but I am asking anyone who understands my situation and/or have been through tough times as I have to be empathetic and assist me with any donations they can or wish to make. I cannot tell you how grateful I am that you took the time to read my story and the gratitude I have to those who will help me in my situation. I will personally thank and update my situation to every person via posts on your kindness and generosity you’ve shown to me. I don’t know how this story will end, but I am hoping I can at least make payments again towards ending my student debt obligations. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and God Bless.