Dear Next President,

The can is gaining momentum, and my generation is running out of time. The national debt has accumulated to $19.3 trillion, and millennials will be the ones expected to clean up this mess. Burdened with the obligation to pay off our nation's debt, millennials like myself are essentially robbed of the opportunities past generations had. I want to enjoy college, and not have to worry about the inevitable student loans that I will have to pay back throughout my lifetime. I want to be independent and own my own home, and not have to live rely on my parents until my forties. However, with student loans climbing at an unstoppable pace, achieving financial independence will no doubt be exhausting and grueling.

I am a senior at San Marino High School, one of the most extinguished schools in California. Currently, San Marino Unified is ranked the number one performing district in California. In my government class this year, I not only had the opportunity to learn about our country's staggering debt, but more importantly, the effect it will have on millennials- specifically, my generation. Learning about this debt that my generation did not incur, but will ultimately have to pay off, I was furious at the probable economic opportunities lost. Compared to the past generation, the Generation Xers, who had better access to full-time jobs, and wealth, my generation is left to worry about paying off student loans. With the student loan to worry about, my future hopes of attending graduate school became overwhelmingly difficult. However, I do believe millennials can and will overcome this great burden. 

The U.S. government is running a deficit by borrowing and spending more than it can or will pay back. How do you expect millennials to thrive and flourish if the over looming thought of paying the national debt is constantly lurking in the back of our thoughts? Despite all that, I realized there is no use in brooding over how "unfair" the situation is. Rather than focus on the negatives, I do believe there are measures that can be taken in order to lighten the burden for us millennials. The government can decrease military funding and instead focus more on educational programs for the younger generations. After all, millennials and future generations will be the ones battling this national debt, so education will be instrumental for us to solve this problem. 

I hope you take these solutions into consideration, as my and millions of other millennials' future is on the line. Our national debt might hinder millennials at first, but with modifications, we will thrive and succeed. 

Thank you,

Melody Chow

3rd Period

U.S. Government