{"id":5011,"date":"2025-07-23T19:59:21","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T19:59:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/blog\/?p=5011"},"modified":"2025-08-29T15:47:44","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T15:47:44","slug":"graduate-exclusive-judy-o","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/blog\/graduate-exclusive-judy-o\/","title":{"rendered":"Graduate Exclusive! Judy O. Goes From Hostel to Her Own Apartment, From Bus to Her Own Car"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\n

We caught up with Judy to hear how life for her has changed since graduating from Beyond Finance in February of 2023.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
    \n
  • Debt Amount: $32,302<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Started: December 2021<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Graduated: November 2023<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Can you tell us a bit about yourself?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019m from Nigeria, but I was born and raised in Ethiopia. I came to the U.S. in 2015 to join my mom. My parents and two younger brothers are here, and my older brother just recently joined us too. I work as an aviation mechanic and live in Revere, Massachusetts.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
    \n

    How did you find yourself in debt?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019d been working for a cruise line, and the pandemic hit that industry hard \u2013 a lot of people were laid off. And I was like, you know what? I\u2019m going to give school a shot until I can figure out my next move. But I didn\u2019t have any money saved, so I took out loans. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    \n
    \n

    Everything Beyond Finance said played out exactly the way they said it would … I was grateful.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    By the time I graduated, I still didn\u2019t have a job. I was overwhelmed. I can\u2019t even describe it. I almost thought of filing for bankruptcy \u2014 that\u2019s how desperate I was. I started doing research on the pros and cons of filing for bankruptcy and I realized that it would hurt me in the long run, but that\u2019s how desperate I was. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
    \n
    \"\"
    Judy takes a beach day in Salisbury, MA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
    \n

    What was your experience like with Beyond Finance?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    I started researching consolidation plans \u2014 which ones are the best options, and reading reviews for the different companies. Beyond Finance\u2019s communication was top-notch. They were very transparent with me. The customer service agents were very polite, very informative, and very aware. That\u2019s why I decided to go with them\u2014 I felt assured.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    When I paid off my first account I was excited. Now, I felt more motivated, like, \u201cOkay, I can do this.\u201d My stress levels weren\u2019t as high.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Everything Beyond Finance said played out exactly the way they said it would. I didn\u2019t feel blindsided. I didn\u2019t feel betrayed. I was grateful.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    \n
    \n

    How have things been since graduating?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    I went from staying in a girls\u2019 hostel, to my own apartment. From using the bus, running after the bus, missing trains, to driving my own car.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    All of a sudden all these credit card companies have been reaching out to me. Before they were always turning me down. Even finding an apartment \u2014 they\u2019d be like, \u201cWe can\u2019t really go off of your credit.\u201d But just seeing my credit go back up and being able to take out more loans, and showing them that I have proof of consistent payments. It helped me in the long run.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I’ve also been able to take a few trips. I went to Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Senegal. And I\u2019ve traveled around the States a lot too. So a lot has changed since then \u2014 drastically.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    \n
    \"\"
    Judy relaxes on vacation in Dakar, Senegal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    I know it\u2019s clich\u00e9, but it literally feels like a weight lifted off my shoulder. I wake up in the morning and I\u2019m not panicking, checking my calendar like, \u201cWhat\u2019s due today? Oh my God, did I miss this payment?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It might seem tiny, but to me it\u2019s a big deal to not have to worry about that anymore.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Real client compensated for a real story.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Working toward her dream job as an aviation mechanic, Judy fell into loan debt. But with some help from Beyond Finance, she’s living a life of fulfillment and financial freedom.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":5012,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[163],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-client-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\nGraduate Exclusive! Judy O. 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