A zero balance miracle: Randolph Community College student recalls the moment her student debt was wiped away

Aug. 18—Yuvanka Stokes was laying on her bed on the evening she received a notification that her Randolph Community College debt was paid off. She remembers the shock, followed by jumping and shouting as she created a social media post to share the news.

Stokes's debt was $113, but it was a lot for the 45-year-old who was not working at the time with an autistic child. She was also encouraged to continue her education from her job and felt a mountain of worries appear.

She currently serves as the Family Service Assistant for Telamon North Carolina Chatham County Head Start, while studying to receive her certification in early childhood administrations.

When she first received the email from the college about the debt assistance program, she reached out about her options. Stokes went to her account and set up installments to pay for upcoming classes. However, she saw that the payment had been made and removed from her account.

On Aug. 5, the college announced that they paid over 200 students' outstanding debt, totally almost $113,000. Stokes was one of the many students who was given a fresh start to continue learning.

President Robert S. Shackleford Jr. said it was important to help students go as far as they could in their education.

Stokes was not sure if she was going to get far with the weight on her shoulder, but she had faith that she would get out of the problem. She registered for classes, but up until the zero balance notification, she felt defeated.

Aside from the debt payoff, she felt the staff has been good to her. Stokes describes the help offered as a big college with a touch of southern hospitality.

Her early childhood education journey started as a job requirement, but when she sat with one of her professors about the program's impact it encouraged her to be a better parent and become an advocate for all children. Stokes has taken classes including exceptional children, child guidance, creative activities, and health care technology.

According to Stokes, the first few courses help educators better understand children to develop positive socioemotional skills, while expanding their imagination and cognitive skills.

The curriculum discusses the importance of policies and how a good leader can ensure a facility is running smoothly under regulations. She believes the major will help her understand the behind-the-scenes part of running a childcare center or preschool.

Stokes's goal in the future is to create an organization called Human Resources that assists low-income families in connecting with local resources. Her focus would be to help people find jobs, help decrease food insecurities, and find rentals for families who want to be homeowners.

Petruce Jean-Charles is a Government Watchdog Reporter. They are interested in what's going on in the community and are open to tips on people, businesses and issues. Contact Petruce at pjeancharles@gannett.com and follow @PetruceKetsia on Twitter.

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