WHITE HOUSE VIDEO MESSAGE: Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics Alejandra Ceja Discusses the President’s Plan to Make College More Affordable

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WHITE HOUSE VIDEO MESSAGE: Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics Alejandra Ceja Discusses the President’s Plan to Make College More Affordable

In this week’s message, the Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics at the Department of Education, Alejandra Ceja discussed the President’s plan to make college more affordable, tackle rising costs, and improve value for students and their families. During a two-day bus tour, the President spoke with high school  and college students in New York and Pennsylvania to talk about the surest path to the middle class – some form of higher education. The President proposed major new reforms to make college more affordable and make it easier for folks to pay for their education especially young Latinos who are attending college at higher rates than ever before.

The audio of the address and video of the message is available online HERE.

Hi, everybody.  Over the past month, the President visited towns across America, to talk about what our country needs to do to secure a better bargain for the middle class. 

This week, the President spoke with high school and college students in New York and Pennsylvania to discuss the surest path to the middle class – some form of higher education.

But at a moment when a higher education has never been more important, it’s also never been more expensive.  That’s why, over the past four years, we’ve helped make college more affordable for millions of students and families with grants and loans that go farther from before. Since the President took office, more Hispanics are attending college than ever before, with 37% currently enrolled. But there’s still more work to be done to make college even more accessible for Latino families.

That’s why the President proposed major new reforms to make college more affordable and make it easier for folks to pay for their education. 

First, we’re going to start rating colleges based on opportunity – are they helping students from all kinds of backgrounds succeed, and on outcomes – their value to students and parents. 

Second, we’re going to jumpstart competition between colleges over innovations that help more students graduate in less time, at less cost, while maintaining quality. 

And third, we’re going to help more students responsibly manage their debt, by making more of them eligible for a loan repayment program called Pay-As-You-Earn, which caps your loan payments at 10 percent of what you make. 

Higher education shouldn’t be a luxury, or a roll of the dice; it’s an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford. 

Thanks, and have a great weekend.

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