You predict . . .

Which one of these young women do you predict will have a successful, fulfilling life . . .

Cortney Munna
Cortney Munna wanted to go to the best college she could find, no matter what it cost. So she and her mother took out student loans to the tune of $100,000. Now 26 and a graduate of New York University with a degree in religious and women's studies, Cortney is outraged that she is expected to pay that money back. She wants to call a "do-over." "I don't want to spend the rest of my life slaving away to pay for an education I got for four years and would happily give back. It feels wrong to me," she said. Cortney and her mother say they had no idea they were overloading themselves. I think the red flag should have gone up when Sallie Mae cut them off and said, "No more. You have too much debt." After that, they got at least another $40,000 from Citibank "without thinking much about how they would pay it back." If Cortney doesn't understand "You have too much debt," it makes me wonder about the quality of the education she received.

Corissa Brown
Corissa Brown is a recent graduate of Newman Smith High School in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD. She ranked in the top 10% of her class. When Corissa was a sophomore, her mother was diagnosed with cancer, and she has endured chemotherapy and other treatments in the intervening years. Shortly after her mother became ill, her father had quadruple bypass surgery. Despite having health insurance, the family's finances were strained, to say the least, and Corissa's college fund was wiped out. But her family wanted her to go to college, so Corissa and the family buckled down. Her mother said, "It made us think about the money and how we were going to do all of this." Corissa studied hard, took AP classes, and became an active community volunteer. She worked for Coppell Parks Department helping with festivals and as a lifeguard and swim instructor. Corissa's father says he doesn't want her to have to depend on anyone else for her future. I'm betting she won't have to. She's earned almost enough in scholarship money to pay for her four years at Howard Payne University to get a degree in Elementary Education. The family is taking out a loan to finance the rest. The Brown's say they believe in perseverance. Corissa says, "I feel like I can handle anything. I feel like Superwoman!"

"College aid becomes a burden." The Dallas Morning News; June 6, 2010; p. 27A.
"Staying the course to college." The Dallas Morning News; June 7, 2010; p. 1B.