9 people who put a human face on the student debt crisis
"I'm chained to something for the rest of my life."
AJ+ recently released a video aimed at showing the face of student debt in America.
It features nine diverse stories from people with degrees ranging from fine arts to law.
$1.2 trillion. That's how much outstanding student loan debt exists in the U.S.
It's an incredible, terrifying number that can sometimes be hard to even conceptualize. I mean, it's larger than the economy of several small countries.
And over the past 10 years, it has more than tripled.
Which is why the video is so important — it helps humanize the problem.
The video — consisting of a short series of interviews — depicts student debt as the burden it can be, not just on short-term finances, but in terms of career goals, personal relationships, and overall outlook on life.
GIF via AJ+.
A college degree is still seen as valuable, but justifying the amount spent these days can be a challenge.
In a recent Gallup poll, 93% of people polled said they believe it's necessary to have a college degree in order to land a good job. Still, in recent years, experts have clashed on the question of whether college is still worth the investment.
Whether it winds up being a good investment or not, more than 40 million Americans currently have outstanding student loans, with the average debt hovering around $30,000 per person.
GIF via AJ+.
People are protesting and pushing back on loans, but that's not exactly a new phenomenon.
The cost of college keeps rising, and borrowers find themselves without much leverage. As long as popular belief tells us that college is necessary to get a decent job, prospective students will more or less be strong-armed into taking out that hefty burden of credit.
So what can they do? They can try to get the government to help out. And so they protest.
These protesters in Los Angeles called for the cancellation of student debt in 2012. Photo by David McNew/Getty Images.
While the government has gotten involved from time to time, the problem hasn't exactly gone away.
In 2010, President Obama pushed for Congress to pass the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, which made a few tweaks to the recently-passed Affordable Care Act and helped make things a little easier for future student borrowers in terms of Pell Grants and setting a cap on repayment requirements.
"Let's tell another one million students that when they graduate, they will be required to pay only 10 percent of their income on student loans, and all of their debt will be forgiven after 20 years," Obama said in a 2010 speech. "And forgiven after 10 years if they choose a career in public service because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they chose to go to college."
Last year, the president signed a memorandum designed to help another 5 million existing borrowers.
President Obama signs a memorandum on June 9, 2014. Photo by Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images.
Presidents Bush and Clinton also made efforts to help solve the student loan crisis, but it hasn't exactly had the long-term success anyone hoped for.
There may be a solution. But until we figure it out, telling our stories is one way to make a big difference.
Like Sam, who is $81,000 in debt, at one point lived out of his car, and wasn't even able to complete his degree. Or Derrick, who isn't able to find a job in his field, but finds himself saddled with around $180,000 in loans that he guesses won't be paid off for decades.
GIF via AJ+.
These stories are evidence of the true burden that student loans can have on so many of us. They're also evidence that telling your story might be one of the best ways to create change.
Beaver in water. Photo by 
An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Not just coworkers—family, friends, strangers, kids…
Imagine having to go so badly but being out of euros. 
Anything hobbit-esque can't be wrong. 
But what if you need pain meds AND mascara?!
Imagine how this would affect childcare.
Honestly…where's the lie?
A brown buddha statue sits near a green mountain. Photo by 
Urgent dash to the bathroom! 🚪🏃♂️
Ladybug unexpectedly found during colonoscopyPhoto credit: 
Close-up of bottom of ladybug found in colonPhoto credit: 
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."