KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Arielle Nash, a graduating senior at Pembroke Hill School in Kansas City, Missouri decided to take a different path than most of her classmates.
At Pembroke, 99 percent of graduating seniors go directly to college. Nash chose to start her career instead of college in large part to avoid massive student loan debt.
According to financial aid advisors, 44 million Americans have student loans totaling $1.4 trillion. Nash said she's ready to start her career and doesn't want debt. The average student loan debt for the class of 2017 was $39,400.
"So you're coming out of college and have all of this debt build up and I just didn't want to be like that. I didn't want to have all this debt when I'm starting out my life," Nash said.
Cameron Young, an Enrollment Advisor at UMKC, explained that the debt is a well-placed investment.
"You may not see it in the beginning; but as times pay off, I mean when you get that degree and you get into the career field that you want to, it's an investment for your life," Young said.
Young also took a gap year and then enrolled and graduated from college with his degree. His advice to high school students taking a gap year is to have a plan.
Arielle's plan is already in action. She launched her business, called Arielle Marie Nash Enterprises, LLC.
"I want to be able to help companies either attract and retain millennials to their workforce because right now millennials are only staying in their position for about 2 to 3 years," Nash added.
She learned how to speak Chinese at Pembroke and teaches Chinese to children in Kansas. She plans to go to China this summer trying to convince company executives to hire her company.
Nash is also community-minded. Her first book, "Mixed Signals: Lessons Learned Outside the Classroom," will be on sale next week. She plans to do some motivational speaking and use the book to help guide teenage girls from struggles to success.
On Saturday, Nash will get her diploma during the graduation ceremony. She knows her choice to work instead of going to college is risky, but she believes her support system is strong and said she has a strong work ethic that will help her succeed.
"And the beauty of college is that it's there," Nash said. "And I can always go when I'm ready."
