Student debt reached over $1.6 trillion in 2020, and this crisis weighs heaviest on communities of color. As costs of tuition and borrowing continue to increase, the negative implications on Latinos’ financial futures – particularly in light of the current global pandemic – will be significant and long lasting. Some have called on lawmakers to cancel student debt, but what would that really take? Are any other policy solutions being contemplated or proposed? Join us to hear the latest on how Congress and the new Administration are approaching student debt and potential ways to reduce the burden on Latino/a/x borrowers.

Watch here.

SPEAKERS

Cheye-Ann Corona
Senior Policy and Gov’t Affairs Associate
Center for Responsible Lending
CHCI Alum (2014-2015)

Cheye-Ann Corona is a senior policy and government affairs associate for western states, working on issues related to small dollar and student lending. Cheye-Ann joined our Oakland office from Washington, D.C. where she worked on federal policy reforms ranging from issues related to homeownership, economic inequality, labor, education, and financial services.

Cheye-Ann has dedicated the past 10 years of her career to advocating for public policy reforms that provide economic, political, and social mobility for communities of color. Prior to joining CRL, Cheye-Ann served as a senior legislative assistant to Congressman Al Green, a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee. She was also a graduate housing fellow with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute with placements at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. House Financial Services Committee. During this time, Cheye-Ann published a policy brief in the Harvard Journal of Hispanic Policy focused on evaluating the Obama-era Promise Zones Initiative on urban revitalization with recommendations to acknowledge demographic shifts, center cultural relevancy, affordable housing and asset-based development.

Cheye-Ann graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a B.A. in international development studies and a dual Masters’ degree in urban planning and Latin American studies.

Tanya Menendez
Co-Founder & CEO
Snowball Wealth

Tanya Menendez is the Co-Founder and CEO of Snowball Wealth, a platform that provides a free student loan plan and helps users save an average of $6K. Snowball Wealth’s mission is to empower people to make financial progress and the platform also provides free resources on debt, saving and investing. Before Snowball, Menendez co-founded Maker’s Row, an online marketplace used by over 200K businesses. Before becoming an entrepreneur, she worked at Goldman Sachs and Google.

Menendez has been included in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 List and named one of People en Español’s Most Powerful Latinas, and PopMechanic’s 25 Makers Who Are Reinventing the American Dream. You can follow Tanya @makertanya and Snowball @asksnowball.

Marissa Muñoz
Northeastern Regional Director
Young Invincibles

Marissa Muñoz is the Northeast Director of the Young Invincibles where she is leading the organization’s policy advocacy efforts to increase opportunities for young adults. Prior to this role, Marissa served as the Senior Director of Education Policy at the Hispanic Federation, advancing New York City and State policies that support the achievement of Latinos in both P-12 and higher education.

Marissa has dedicated her career to public service, working in both non-profit organizations as well as government, and has extensive experience in program management and relationship development. She is passionate about increasing college and career readiness opportunities for young people and has worked to increase programs and policies that support postsecondary success through her work at the College Board and the New York City Department of Education. Marissa holds a BA from the University of Texas at Austin and an MPA from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.