A TikTok video featuring a father who worked as a pool cleaner to fund his daughter’s education at her desired college has gained widespread attention. This was after it was revealed that the government forgave her student loans. The video was shared on the media platform by Nika Diwa (@nikadiwa). It has garnered 27.9 million views since its posting last year.
Posted on December 19, the video features a woman seated in a car with her hand covering her mouth. The text overlaying the video read: “My father sent me to a college he couldn’t afford, and I just discovered the government forgave the entire loan.
In the following scene, a man can be seen standing beside a Christmas tree as he unfolds a letter. Upon reading it attentively, he becomes visibly shocked and emotional. Closing his eyes, he holds the letter against his forehead before the clip concludes. The post was shared with a caption. “He worked as a pool cleaner so that I could pursue my dreams. This is the most meaningful Christmas present,” the caption reads.
Recently, President Joe Biden disclosed that his administration will be eliminating $1.2 billion in student debt. About 153,000 borrowers will be eligible under a recently introduced repayment initiative called Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE). The Biden administration’s original plan was to initiate student loan forgiveness through the SAVE plan in July. However, it is now being implemented almost six months earlier than planned.
On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona made a statement. He announced that the Biden administration had granted loan forgiveness to about 3.9 million borrowers. He mentioned that in the future, borrowers who qualify for forgiveness will have their loans discharged. “Moving forward, borrowers who meet the eligibility requirements for forgiveness under the SAVE Plan will have their loans automatically discharged with no action needed from them,” he said.
“The U.S Department of Education plans to continue “regularly identifying and discharging loans,” Secretary Cardona mentioned. He also said that next week, the department will begin sending emails to borrowers who could qualify for this forgiveness by switching to SAVE.
On January 6, the individual who posted the viral clip shared a subsequent video. In the video, she asks her father about his decision to send her to her “dream college” despite the fact that he couldn’t afford it. The TikTok post shows the woman seated beside her father. “What prompted you to allow me to attend school in New York when you knew you didn’t have the money?” she asked.
Her father responds by saying, “As a parent, when you recognize your child’s talent, you must nurture it. It’s about having faith instead of succumbing to fear.”
The video was posted with a caption expressing gratitude to the government for forgiving all student loans. Its caption also credits the lady’s father for prioritizing faith over fear. It reads, “Still can’t believe the government forgave 💯 of my student loans. I’m so grateful to have a dad who had faith over fear.”
Many TikTok users were moved to tears. One user commented, “This was so worth it for him. The loan forgiveness was just a bonus.” Another TikTok user said, “he deserves the whole world.” A user expressed how she felt. She said, “I cried for him. The relief, purpose, hard work and a better life for his baby. The American dream!” More people commented, mentioning that they cried with the father. A user said, “I wasn’t planning on crying today, but thanks.”