Bowie State University News August 5, 2014 BSU Senior Joins Congresswomen Pelosi, Edwards at Press Conference A Bowie State University student shared how taking on student loans for college has impacted her family at a press conference hosted by House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Congresswoman Donna Edwards. Golden Okolo, 21, of Bowie, Md., spoke about transferring to Bowie State after accumulating thousands of dollars in student loans attending while another out-of-state university. Because of the affordable tuition at Bowie State, Okolo was able to pay for her last two years of college with fewer loans. After graduation, Okolo plans to land a job in nursing to begin repaying her loans before pursuing a master's degree in nursing. Pelosi and Edwards said that the "Middle Class Jumpstart: A 100 Day Action Plan to Put the Middle Class First"<http://www.democraticleader.gov/middle-class-jumpstart/> includes initiatives to expand college affordability, among other supports for middle class families. Okolo was one of two Maryland women who gave first-hand accounts of the challenges they face. The press conference took place at Shortcake Bakery, owned by Cheryl Harrington, who shared her story of opening the business two years earlier with the help of the U.S. Small Business Administration. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-702-5854 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Register now http://www.hbculibraries.org/html/2014meeting-form.html for the October 26-28, 2014 HBCU Library Alliance 6th Membership Meeting in Atlanta GA!