DAYTON — Kyla Marks, a dental school student at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, has managed to avoid student debt entirely through scholarships.
Despite the average dental school debt reaching $296,500, according to the Education Data Initiative, Marks managed to avoid this financial burden entirely. Her success story offers hope to many students facing the daunting prospect of student loans.
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“Zero dollars, zero dollars, I don’t owe nobody anything,” Marks said, expressing her relief at graduating without debt.
Marks credits her mother, whom she calls her ‘momager,’ for guiding her through the scholarship application process. Together, they applied for scholarships from various sources, including churches, sororities, and even a local nightclub.
Trinity Chandler, Marks’ mother, shared her initial skepticism about the scholarship applications, saying, “I thought, okay, well, maybe this will pay for the first semester. And then they kept coming.”
Gabrielle McCormick, who runs Scholarship Informer, emphasizes the importance of applying for scholarships every year.
Marks plans to establish her own scholarship one day, aiming to ‘pay it forward’ and help others as she was helped.
Marks’ story highlights the potential of scholarships to alleviate the financial pressures of higher education, encouraging students to seek out opportunities and apply persistently.
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