Krystal Gabel planned to have a doctorate by the time she was 25, so she focused on education. And she was an exceptional student.
“I really pushed myself. I was told my entire life to have goals, to get a career, to be focused.”
Gabel was valedictorian of her class, graduating from Akron-Westfield High School in Iowa in three years, plus she was active in sports from basketball to track.
She graduated magna cum laude from Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, Iowa, with a writing degree, the last writing degree the school offered.
But her $80,000 student debt and an evolving life philosophy changed her goals.
After college and after surviving the recession on a series of low-paying jobs, Gabel bought a house in Omaha, landed a job as a technical writer with a decent salary and began paying off her student debt.
About 10 years after graduating Gabel still had $30,000 of debt…
