Carlarjenkins: January 2014

Monday, January 20, 2014

Martin Luther King Memorial Day

Going to the MLK Memorial is great (especially since it’s 50+ degrees in January. Last year during inauguration it was 20 degrees.). I attended the groundbreaking so it feels that I am coming full circle. Plus it is the holiday. I am the living embodiment of the Dream: a black women with two degrees, two project management certifications and a very well paying job. I am happy to see many families with children there. It is essential to teach Dr. King to the future generation. There are a lot of activities with the Park Ranger (the children’s activities are the best because they come with a junior Park Ranger badge.). Moreover, there are a lot of immigrants there which I find unexpected. I guess their presence magnifies the importance of Dr. King’s civil rights legacy upon them.

Martin Luther King quote

Martin Luther King stone bust

MLK quote

MLK Memorial Sign

MLK quote

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Paying It Forward

Today I receive my Cleveland State University Perkins student loan payoff letter. In it the university says that since I’ve paid off my loan, my money will be used to make loans to other students. That’s an unknown added bonus for me because I know the struggle. Although I graduated 12 years ago, I know what it’s like to be struggling for money. I worked at the Upward Bound and took out Perkins loan to afford the tuition. Luckily, I was an Ohioan so I received the in-state rate. My Cleveland State University education has helped me land a GS-9 Economist position in my first government job. Currently I am a GS-14. I want my money to go to current students so that they can have the same if not greater opportunities than I do. Below is my payoff letter.

Paying it forward just doesn’t stop with new students. It continues with me because now I am more motivated to payoff my American University tuition debt. I will use my tax refund to pay it off because it has been 3 years since I last matriculated. It should be over by now!

Cleveland State University Perkins Student Loan Payoff Letter