By SHANNON O. WELLS
Like thousands of other young, hopeful scholars, Morgan Weaver decided that the benefits of furthering her education outweighed the risk of taking on some level of debt.
Through an innovative Pitt-based program, Weaver not only found a helpful path to manage her loan payments, but also an unexpected career path.
“Throughout college, I took out federal student loans to help fund my education,” said Weaver, a 2023 Pitt graduate with a degree in rhetoric and communication. “I am so grateful for the debt relief and financial education I received through the Panthers Forward program.
“Navigating student loan payments with post-graduation finances is daunting,” she added, “but Panthers Forward helped lift some of that stress.”
Panthers Forward provides 150 graduating Pitt seniors each academic year with resources — financial wellness guidance, budgeting and long-term investing tools, mentoring and direct federal student loan relief, and up to $5,000 in direct federal student loan relief — designed to improve and enhance their post-graduation experience.
“The program was super helpful when I was preparing for post-graduation life, as it provided me with resources that allowed me to enhance my financial literacy,” said Weaver, who grew up in Windber, Pa. “After graduating, I began working as the coordinator for Panthers Forward.”
Panthers Forward has now partnered with Savi, a technology startup that helps borrowers find new repayment and loan-forgiveness options. The Savi program already is offered as a Pitt employee benefit through its partnered organizations, Weaver explained, adding that Savi’s partnership with Panthers Forward is the first of its kind.
“I was made aware that Pitt offers Savi as an HR benefit,” she said of her onboarding process as a University employee. “I registered and began using Savi to help me navigate the federal student loan repayment process. It made everything so much easier.”
Inspired by her positive experience, Weaver and Panthers Forward found a new level of common ground.
The team “worked to establish a partnership so that we could extend these benefits to our Panthers Forward students,” Weaver said. “Students accepted into the Panthers Forward program receive up to $5,000 in federal student loan debt relief. In addition to combating student loan debt for our participants, we wanted to simplify the loan repayment process for them.”
Through Savi, participating students can find what repayment plan is best for them, see if they qualify for student-loan forgiveness, and apply for the programs. “Savi streamlines those steps and, together, we hope to help students make informed financial choices,” she said.
As reported in Pittwire, Savi, which was founded by experienced student loan experts and advocates, works with hundreds of employers — along with organizations like the National Education Association and TIAA — to provide its student-loan benefits.
Panthers Forward Director Sarah Cullen told Pittwire the partnership emphasizes Pitt’s “commitment to addressing the affordability of higher education and empowering students to be confident and prepared for life after graduation.”
“We’re thrilled to be the first university to team up with Savi to offer this valuable service to students,” she said.
Graduates from Pitt’s Oakland campus who take out a federal student loan to fund their final year of college are encouraged to explore the Panthers Forward program to determine eligibility. Students accepted into Panthers Forward will have access to Savi benefits. Panthers Forward also encourages its participants to “pay it forward” with monthly contributions after graduation to the program.
Weaver, whose memories of the labyrinthine student-loan experience are fresh, said she feels fortunate to benefit from the program as well as help other graduates find a smoother financial ride.
“As someone who just went through this process last year, I know that navigating student loan repayment plans and forgiveness options can be daunting,” she said. “Panthers Forward provided me with resources to help make post-graduation life and finances less complex and overwhelming.
“With the program’s new partnership,” she added, “I am so glad that future Panthers Forward recipients will have the opportunity to benefit from using Savi like I did.”
Shannon O. Wells is a writer for the University Times. Reach him at shannonw@pitt.edu.
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