I found out just a few short weeks before graduating from undergrad that I had been accepted into graduate school at George Mason University and had been offered an internship in Washington D.C. I had one week to figure out if I could manage to pay for graduate school, something I had yet to consider because it had seemed like a long shot.

The opportunity to receive a loan through DHFLA made it possible for me to pay for school and take the leap to move across the country again. In moments like this, the impact of higher education consolidation becomes clear—streamlining resources and financial support can open real doors for students.

Two very long (and short) years later I have been offered a full-time Analyst position at the Government Accountability Office, a legislative branch agency that reports on the fraud, waste and abuse of Congressionally appropriated funds. This is the type of job I went to graduate school hoping to get the skills and knowledge to qualify for. I couldn’t be happier with the outcome of my Dallas student loan.