SHELLEY BRANINE

Our daughters both graduated college a week before finishing high school. One walked the two graduation aisles in May of 2021, and the other finished in May of 2023. Because they were still technically high school students, almost every penny of their associate degrees was paid for by the state of Colorado, and they started their bachelor’s degrees with two years of college already completed. They were typical high school students. They don’t have exceedingly high IQs; in fact, one has a disability and has always required accommodations and extra support with academics. In addition, they did not miss out on the “high school experience.” They were able to participate in high school, and even college-level sports, homecoming, prom, and one was even student council president. While we have done our best to encourage a strong work ethic, please keep in mind that we do not consider either of our girls overachievers. We simply saw a hidden opportunity in the Colorado school system and took advantage of it. And most states have similar options. We want other families to understand that there are clear, practical paths that teach students how to graduate debt-free, and that these opportunities exist in far more places than most parents realize. 

Before we tell you how our girls accomplished this, let us share why we chose this untraditional education path. In 1997, we graduated from a private religious college with $50,000 in combined student loan debt. Upon entering college at 18 years old, we attended a financial aid meeting, in which they briefly and loosely discussed the repercussions of debt, but other than that, no one ever mentioned it again. No family member, school official, clergyman or woman, or anyone else in authority ever helped us understand the importance of financial planning. Nor did they suggest alternative methods for paying for college.

Upon graduation, the weight of $50,000 of debt was devastating. We felt defeated even before we began our adult professional lives. In addition, we didn’t have a clue as to how to manage that type of debt. We graduated with degrees that yielded low-paying jobs, a teacher and a radio broadcaster, and we chose to live in Colorado, a state with one of the highest costs of living – but those are topics for another time. It took years and years for us to overcome that amount of debt on such low salaries, and early on, we vowed that our children would not make the same mistakes we did. And so far, they haven't.

Sadly, today, over 20 years later, the amount of student loan debt is rapidly increasing, and the proposed solutions are laughable at best. We are dedicated to sharing the power we've instilled in our girls with other young adults and parents who are willing to receive it. We believe that starting adulthood debt-free gives young adults the upper hand and empowers them to achieve much more than they otherwise could, but keep in mind that unless a large college fund has been established, the journey will require your family to go against the flow, raise a few eyebrows, do things people don’t understand, and possibly be criticized . . . but eventually the critics will wish they had followed your lead.  Our hope is that every family discovers the options that empower students to learn how to graduate debt-free and start adulthood with freedom instead of financial strain. 

Both daughters will earn Bachelor's Degrees  100% debt-free, and we want the same for all young adults!

“First they make fun of you. Then they say you’re crazy. And then they ask you how you did it.” - Codie Sanchez

The Branine’s

Erik, Shelley, Caitlyn, and Karissa