First black woman rabbi has $250,000 in student loans

Parents Forum
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<p>The Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting the impending ordination of Alysa Stanton, an African-American woman who converted from Christianity to Judaism two decades ago. Scholars believe Stanton, 45, a single mother of an adopted teenage daughter, will be the first black clergywoman in the history of Judaism.</p>

<p>“I try not to focus on being the first. I focus on being the best – the best human being, the best rabbi I can be,” she told The Plain Dealer.</p>

<p>“With academic degress in psychology and counseling from Colorado State University in Denver, Stanton worked as a psychotherapist before enrolling in Hebrew Union College (Cincinnati) in 2002. She studied in Israel her first year,” according to the article.</p>

<p>" ‘It’s been quite a journey,’ she said, noting that along the way she amassed $250,000 in student loan debt."</p>

<p>The good news … she has a job lined up. On August 1, she’ll become rabbi of a 53-family congregation in Greenville, N.C. </p>

<p>But what about those loans!? Oh, my G-d.</p>

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<p>can’t we all just say mazel tov?</p>

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<p>As the rabbi of a 53 family congregation it’s going to take her forever to pay off those loans. </p>

<p>Oy vey!</p>

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<p>I think she sounds like a very interesting person. But yeah, that’s a LOT of debt. Thank goodness for hardship deferments! Also, new federal loan policies enable people who work at nonprofits and make 120 loan payments on standard/income-based/income-contingent plans get the rest forgiven. So that’ll help her out a bit, though I imagine the bulk of her loans are private (you can only get about 20,000 a year in grad school Staffords). </p>

<p>Or maybe she’ll write a best-seller and the loans won’t be a problem. I’d like to read what she has to say!</p>

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<p>Oh! I read about her in the PD this morning and was so impressed. I missed the student loan part.</p>

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<p>Student loans hit so many people, so hard…</p>

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<p>Maybe she should go on Oprah and get the “Oprah effect.” Student loan gone!</p>

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<p>She should write a book and then go on Oprah.</p>

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<p>Given that HUC tuition is $16,000 and it’s a five year program, that does seem like a lot of debt–even figuring in some living costs. I wonder if some of the debt didn’t come from her undergrad degree.</p>

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<p>Maybe she can get it bundled with Hillary’s.</p>

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<p>I’m sure that a boatload of debt came from her undergrad and advanced degrees in psychology and counseling (which could be 2 different degree paths).</p>

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<p>Good for her. And I’m glad she has a job. This is the 1st year, I’m told, that HUC hasn’t been able to place their grads.</p>

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<p>$250K in student loans is mashugana. These loans will never be repaid and the taxpayers will be on the hook.</p>

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<p>I can’t imagine getting counciling from someone who is 250,000 in debt and makes about 60,000 a year. It’s this kind of irresponsibe borrowing that has caused the sub-prime mortgage debacle. I hope she does write a book, go on Oprah or anything else that keeps her from defaulting and shafting responsible borrowers and lenders.</p>

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<p>Short of a book deal, she will never pay it off. $250,000 over 15 years at 10%, 1% origination fee, is more than $2,700/mo. Even at 15% of her income, she’d need a salary of more than $215,000/year. It doesn’t get much better if she stretches it to 20 or 25 years, or even manages to refinance to a lower rate (not likely at her salary).</p>

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<p><<$250K in student loans is mashugana.>></p>

<p>The $250K in student loans is mashuga - the one who took out the loans would be the mashugana.</p>

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<p>You know, this was mentioned in part of a sentence in a longer article. It may not be accurate. It may not be all student loans. It may reflect debt that was incurred and paid off. It may include a mortgage. She may currently be debt free. We don’t know.</p>