Student loan forgiveness isn’t a topic that only concerns those who are in or who have graduated from college. High schoolers care about it too.

That’s why hundreds of Utah high school students, including Rowland Hall junior Madilyn Mulford, responded to this year’s Westminster Honors College civility essay contest prompt: Millions of Americans may now be eligible to have up to $20,000 of their federal student loans from college forgiven. Write an essay (of 600 words or fewer) that explores whether this new program is beneficial or harmful for our country, making sure to consider both sides of the argument before asserting your own position.

I realized that taking out loans was probably going to be inevitable, so when I saw the prompt I wanted to find out how to better educate myself on student loan debt and why college is so expensive in the first place.—Maddie Mulford, class of 2024

“When I first read the prompt it resonated with me because my parents and I had just begun to talk about how I'm going to pay for college,” said Maddie, who was quickly realizing how expensive tuition is at out-of-state and private colleges and universities. “That's when I realized that taking out loans was probably going to be inevitable, so when I saw the prompt I wanted to find out how to better educate myself on student loan debt and why college is so expensive in the first place.”

Maddie wasn’t alone. This year’s contest saw submissions from 235 students from 43 high schools across the state, all of whom needed to examine the pros and cons of student loan forgiveness to craft the kind of thoughtful essays that the judging panel wanted to see. Though she was mostly in favor of the plan when she started working on her essay, Maddie said, as she researched she found her viewpoint shifting as she began to understand the effect student loan forgiveness could have.

“I wasn't aware of all the other possible consequences that could stem from it,” she said. “The only thing that I had heard was that it was going to worsen inflation, which was later proven to be misleading. It wasn't until I started researching that I found out that there was the possibility that tuition could end up inflating more in consequence to the debt relief, and that's when I decided to challenge my previous positive viewpoint on the policy. I'm still in favor of it, but I'd much rather we find solutions/policies that restrict the inflation of tuition prices.”

Maddie said she felt good about her final essay, which she submitted in early December, but was still surprised to learn that it had been chosen as one of 16 finalists—and then, about a week and a half later, as the first-place winner (an honor that includes a $2,000 cash award). “I remember I screamed so loudly from the excitement that my parents thought something was wrong,” she said. “I was in disbelief then and I still am now. To think my essay was the best out of 235 submissions is baffling to me and it feels like a dream.”

Upper School English teacher Kody Partridge, Maddie’s faculty sponsor for the competition, wasn’t surprised, though, and is thrilled to see Maddie’s hard work recognized. She knows Maddie, an aspiring journalist, thinks deeply about the world and contemporary issues and enjoys engaging in meaningful discussions, and Kody could tell from their earliest chats about Maddie’s ideas that the young writer’s chances in the competition were promising.

“I knew that her ability to speak to the topic while also drawing parallels with her own life would resonate with those reading her piece,” said Kody. “She worked hard, wrote with honesty, and earned this recognition.” 

Congratulations, Maddie! We’re proud of you.

With Maddie’s permission, we have shared her response to this year’s essay question below.

Student Debt Relief: A Band-Aid on a Broken Arm

By Madilyn Mulford, Class of 2024

With the current state of the American economy, student debt relief is on the minds of many Americans on both sides of the political spectrum. With inflation at its highest rate in forty years, many middle-class families are penny-pinching as much as possible. The pause on loans has provided some relief, but there cannot be a pause forever. Biden’s plan to forgive billions in student loans has some celebrating, and others feeling uneasy. For those celebrating, debt relief could significantly alleviate financial burdens, opening opportunities to invest, save or buy a home; those who oppose this legislation worry it will create more issues such as more inflation and future burden on taxpayers. The reality is Americans need this relief more than ever due to the unprecedented economic situation the pandemic created, but economists fear this will exacerbate existing issues and inflate taxes for not only those benefiting from debt forgiveness but also future generations of students to come. We need a better solution; a solution that targets the root of the issue.

Despite being only a junior in high school, paying for college has been at the forefront of my mind. As I spoke with prospective colleges, I realized how expensive college is. In-state tuition averages $10,000; out-of-state around $27,000.¹ While talking to some of my more well-off peers, I found that they’re struggling to figure out how to pay for school as well. Although they’re aiming for more expensive colleges such as NYU and the University of Chicago, hearing them worry about how they’re going to pay for tuition illustrates how bad the situation is. If the wealthy are struggling to pay for college, how is the middle class supposed to find the means to? The reality for me and many other soon-to-be college students is that I’m going to have to take out loans, something I desperately don’t want to do.

Not taking out student loans has become increasingly difficult in recent years. In just 35 years, tuition rates have quadrupled. Thirty to 40 percent of today’s undergraduates take out student loans, and 70 percent of them have student debt by the time they graduate.

Not taking out student loans has become increasingly difficult in recent years. In just 35 years, tuition rates have quadrupled.² Thirty to 40 percent of today’s undergraduates take out student loans, and 70 percent of them have student debt by the time they graduate.³ With how widespread student loans are, it would seem appealing to forgive billions of dollars in student debt, but there are consequences. In response to the relief, universities may end up inflating tuition costs more, making college more expensive for future students, students like me.⁴ Student debt forgiveness, although much needed, is not the solution to the underlying problem America is plagued with when it comes to college tuition. If tuition prices inflate even more as a result of debt forgiveness, come five or 10 years from now, we’ll find ourselves having this very conversation all over again.

Recent events have complicated our financial situation. The pandemic set up an abnormal economy, making it difficult for recent college graduates to pay off their debt, so debt relief is somewhat called for. But we cannot continue a cycle of debt forgiveness because sooner or later it will begin to plague taxpayers, the national debt, and young people like myself. In the short term, Biden’s debt forgiveness plan is greatly beneficial for those struggling to get afloat in a fraught economy, but if we continue perpetually forgiving student debt, we will only keep putting band-aids over the issue. To solve expensive student debt, we need to combat rapidly inflating college tuition rates and create protections that prevent students from going into copious amounts of student debt.

1. Liz Knueven, and Ryan Wangman. “The Average College Tuition Has Dipped Slightly, Though That's Just the Start of Total College Costs.” Business Insider. Business Insider, October 18, 2022. https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/average-college-tuition#:~:text=According%20to%20data%20from%20CollegeBoard,out%2Dof%2Dstate%20students. 
2. Paul F. Campos. “The Real Reason College Tuition Costs So Much .” New York Times, April 4, 2015.
3. “Understanding College Affordability.” Understanding College Affordability - Urban Institute. Accessed November 26, 2022. https://collegeaffordability.urban.org/covering-expenses/borrowing/#:~:text=Each%20year%2C%2030%20to%2040,by%20the%20time%20they%20graduate.
4. Jim Tankersley. “Biden's Student Loan Plan Squarely Targets the Middle Class.” The New York Times, August 25, 2022.

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