Kate Westaby became a mom at the age of 17. The caretaking and late nights were challenging, but it’s the stigma that remains with her the most.

Still, Westaby persevered, applying to college directly after high school. In this interview, Westaby talks about the resources and programs that were instrumental in her college experience—and the supports that could make even more of a difference for parenting students.

Calbright College, California’s only fully online community college, continues to make positive steps in the wake of a state audit and legislative criticism. Enrollment is up, growing by about 8 percent monthly.

Calbright's leaders are now touting another promising trend—this one on who is enrolling. More than 90 percent of Calbright students are 25 or older (more than double the rate for the system as a whole), more than one-third are parents or caregivers, and more than 70 percent identify as Black, Indigenous, Latino, or members of other racial or ethnic minority groups.

Kandra Brooks never got around to finishing her bachelor’s degree but still owes $250 a month for the debt she took out to attend college. The 31-year-old dreads the thought of the payments, which have been on pause since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, resuming.

Brooks is among the nearly half of all Americans—including the vast majority of those with student debt—who support President Joe Biden’s debt forgiveness plan, which would relieve up to $20,000 for borrowers who make less than $125,000.