On Wednesday evening, Joe Hill (COL ‘10) sat down with the Voice to discuss the testimony he delivered before the House Budget Committee in support of the Perkins Loan Program. Interview conducted and transcribed by Emma Forster.
How did the Perkins Loan help you personally?
When I began to apply to colleges, the price tag was a big factor in where I would go. I got a few small scholarships in addition to the aid I got from the Georgetown Scholarship Program, but there was still a gap that needed to be filled. The Perkins Loan helped me and my family fill that gap by providing us with a low-interest loan, part of which could be deferred and a portion that is forgiven if I decide to go into public service. So it basically helped me by allowing me to go Georgetown; without it I probably wouldn’t have been able to afford it.
Hill testified before Congress on Wednesday afternoon.
How did you get to testify before Congress in favor of the Perkins Loan Program?
The Dean of Financial Aid, Dean McWade, recommended me. I’m assuming it was because she saw me speak at an event my freshman year for the Georgetown Scholarship Program. She knew I was receiving financial aid and figured that it would be good for me to revive my personal testimony. I think she also knew that I was really interested in public policy and government, given that I had worked on the Hill. Scott Fleming, the Associate Vice President of Federal Relations, extended the opportunity to me, and it was a great experience.
What was it like to testify before Congress?
It was cool. I was pretty nervous at the beginning, but once the words started to come out, I was less and less nervous. I was talking about myself so I didn’t feel like anyone was going to test my knowledge of interest rates or different algorithms they use to determine financial need, so I felt pretty comfortable. My friends were there, my roommates were there, my parents were there, so good people were around me and I didn’t really feel too nervous. And it was exciting at the end, when it was finished—big sigh of relief at the end.
Ideally, what do you aim to accomplish with your testimony?
I hope that Congress doesn’t let politics get in the way of maintaining a program that’s made a huge difference in my life and a difference [for] the 840 students at Georgetown who have received Perkins Loans. I know there are issues of how the program gets funded and what name the program has—that doesn’t matter to me, the politics of it don’t concern me. As long as we’re ensuring that talented people of all backgrounds are extended the opportunity to attend a school like Georgetown, I’ll be happy.
Why do you think that the Perkins Loan Program is so important?
I think the program is important because there is a whole host of opportunities for people who are below the poverty line. But for those people who are right above what it means to be in poverty and who are just working class folks, a lot of the time we get ignored, we get overlooked. I think that the Perkins Loan Program is an opportunity for middle class students … an opportunity to attend a school that may cost upwards of $50,000 instead of going to the state school or something like that. It gives them more choice and it rewards them for the hard work that they put in in high school.
How do you plan on repaying the loan debt to Georgetown when you graduate? What are your plans for the future?
After Georgetown I plan to teach back home in Philadelphia. The low-interest rate [of the loan] helps out a lot, the deferment helps out a lot, and so does the loan forgiveness aspect. If you give a certain amount of time to service in your community, whether it’s working in the military or government or teaching in an underfunded school district—each year you give spending back to your community, fifteen percent of the loan is forgiven. That provides me with an added incentive to give back and pursue service. I think it’s really important to provide incentive for talented people to go into these careers that might not necessarily pay a lot but that are rewarding nonetheless.
