Debt Forgiveness Gives OCCC Students New Opportunities

A student at Oklahoma City Community College calls their debt forgiveness initiative life changing. 

The college announced last week that it would use $4 million from the American Rescue Plan 2021 to clear outstanding debts from 4,500 students. 

It applies to students that were enrolled from Spring of 2020 to Spring of 2022. 

One of those students, Ari Harris, says when she saw the email, she couldn’t believe it. 

“I thought it was a scam,” she said laughing. 

It wasn’t a scam, but an email letting her know she was part of the Fresh Start Initiative. Her $2,100 outstanding balance was gone. 

“It was huge I’m telling you,” she explained. “$2,100 is a lot to me and paying that out of my pocket, I had to pick and choose. What do I want to pay this week?” 

Ari works as a camera operator at News 9. In the fall of 2021, she was forced to put her journalism education on pause, unable to enroll with an unpaid balance. 

Like so many students, it would take time to pay it down. 

“We always want to remove barriers and obstacles as it pertains to any of our students wanting to obtain their goals,” says OCCC President, Dr. Mautra Staley Jones. 

Dr. Jones says those obstacles increased during the pandemic. Some students were unable to find childcare, lost their job or were forced to support family members instead. 

Leadership at OCCC decided to turn to COVID funds to help. 

“It is their decision and their choice, how they choose to move forward,” says Dr. Jones. 

Ari Harris is enrolling for the first time in a year. While $2,100 out of $4 million may not seem like much, for Ari, it is a gift of time. 

“I planned on graduating in the spring,” she says. “You know, paying off the rest of it in the fall. Then this happened.” 

For Ari, it’s not just debt forgiveness. It’s an opportunity, and she is taking it.