Paying off student debt would allow CSUSB graduate to help family, others

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – Joseph Tillman, a Cal State San Bernardino graduate who went on to earn his law degree at New York University, is one of 20 finalists hoping to have his student loans paid off by SoFi, which refinances student loans, and students, staff, faculty and alumni can help him in that quest.
SoFi, in recognition of refinancing $2.5 billion in student loans, decided to celebrate that milestone by paying off one of its clients’ (the company refers to them as members) student debt through an essay contest in which the public can vote online.
The 20 finalists, including Tillman, shared with SoFi how they benefitted from their student loans being refinanced and how having the debt paid off would further help.
Tillman, who graduated with honors in finance in June 2008 and was a member of the Coyotes men’s basketball team in 2006-2007 and 2007-2008, shared with SoFi that his “entire life has been peppered with obstacles that put me in danger of becoming yet another African American male that failed to live up to his potential.”
When he was 5 years old, his father was killed, and later, his family lost their home after he graduated from Rancho Verde High School in Moreno Valley. Then he suffered the personal tragedy of his girlfriend dying in car accident.
“These experiences have taught me always to persevere through life’s obstacles – and graduating from NYU Law was proof for myself and my family that I could do just that,” he wrote in his essay posted on the SoFi website. “My mother had always supported our family on a custodian’s salary. As a result, I decided to become an attorney so that I could help to support her financially.”
Though he found work in a law firm, “I learned quickly that simply becoming an attorney would not be enough for me to realize this goal as student loan debt would remain a very real obstacle in my path. I spent the entirety of my first year working paying off only accrued interest on my loans. Paying $2,000+ per month into a seemingly endless void had started to cause depression.”
He was able to refinance his student debt, lowering his monthly payments and allowing him to send money to his family.
Tillman said that having his loan paid off would allow him to save for a down payment on a home for his mother, and also allow her to quit her custodial job. He also hoped to help others: “I would provide opportunities for my younger cousins and members of my church to attend better schools, so that they might escape the cycle of violence and poverty that plagues the community I grew up in. In short, winning this contest would help me affect immediate and significant change in other’s lives.”
Voters may make their selection (only one vote is allowed per person) at the “#2BillionTogether Student Loan Payoff Contest” website at https://soficontest.com. Voting ends on June 23 at 11:59 EDT, and the contest winner will be announced on or about July 1
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