Michelle Obama's Convention Speech And Student Loan Debt

Photo Credit: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Student loans were mentioned several times in Michelle Obama's moving speech last night at the Democratic Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. Her talk has been widely praised by the press, and twitter was abuzz with positive remarks as the First Lady spoke. In fact, people were so engaged while she was speaking there were over 28,000 tweets per minute when she finished - of  course - to thunderous applause.

When it comes to student loans and debt, she spoke openly of how her father helped her get through college by taking out loans to cover part of her tuition.

But here's the strongest point she made about the shared debt she had with the man she fell deeply in love with, married, and continues to support:

Believe it or not, when we were first married, our combined monthly student loan bills were actually higher than our mortgage. We were so young, so in love, and so in debt.

If there is one thing to take away from this remark - regardless of your political leanings - it is this: don't let your debt destroy your relationships. If you're having problems with your current partner or a family member who co-signed on one of your loans, stick it out. Work through it together. Don't forget that there are people fighting for you and your family. There are people fighting every day to ensure that those of us who are part of the indentured educated class will have a better, brighter future.

I applaud the First Lady for openly and unashamedly discussing their own struggles with paying their student loan debt and trying to juggle other financial obligations.

It's truly time to overcome the shame of having debt, and it's also time to come up with viable solutions. One thing is certain, if re-elected, President Obama has a lot of work to do on this front. 

Read the full transcript of the speech here [Source: NPR]