No money, but no more school either

Name: Cecile Nguyen
Hometown: San Jose, Calif.
Graduation date: June 2009
Effect of the economic downturn: It made me a little more nervous about once I graduate. I know there won't be as good a job market as I'd want there to be. A lot of my friends are going into grad school to get away from this and I'm thinking that's not a bad idea. I don't know if I can handle school for two more years. I stopped school last year.

Profiles in Debt

Name: Bridget O'Hara

Major: Undeclared

Year: 2012

Hometown: San Jose, CA

Debt at Graduation: about $25,000

Deep Thoughts on Debt: "I am in trouble in the future. It seems like after I graduate I am going to be working for a few years just to pay off college loans instead of making money for my own personal enjoyment. So no fun money for me. It's hard to enjoy school because I know in the future the graduate school is going to be a b****"

Profiles in Debt

Name: Adilene Nuñez
Major: Political Science/Spanish
Year: 2011
Debt: $10,000
Deep Thoughts on Debt: "It will be an interesting process to pay it off. I plan on going to grad school right out of college so the total can only get bigger. Especially in this economy, it will be hard to pay it all off"

Profile not in debt

Janna Goebel will cross the stage, shake President Engh's hand and receive her diploma June 13 without a financial debt to repay. "I was fortunate enough to be fully financially supported," Goebel said.

Though she may not have had the burden of student loans, Goebel applauds those who take on the responsibility. "I think it's admirable that people come to Santa Clara knowing that they will leave with large amounts of debt because they value their education so much. I'm not sure I would have had the courage to do that," she admitted.

The Spanish major may not escape financial ties for long, however. "I've gained an appreciation for education and I plan to continue on to grad school," Goebel said, "though I will most likely end up in debt as a result."