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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FEBRUARY 5, 2016;    CONTACT: Jan Kruse (jkruse@nclc.org or 617.542.8010)

(BOSTON) The National Consumer Law Center (NCLC), a nonprofit with headquarters in Boston and an office in Washington, D.C., has appointed Persis Yu as director of NCLC’s Student Loan Borrower Assistance Project, effective February 1, 2016. The organization works for economic justice for low-income and other disadvantaged people in the United States.
“We are delighted to welcome Persis as the new director of the Student Loan Borrower Assistance Project,” said National Consumer Law Center Executive Director Rich Dubois. “Persis has the vision, commitment, and knowledge to lead NCLC’s efforts to promote access to higher education and reduce student debt burdens.”

Yu has been at NCLC since 2011, focusing on student loan and consumer credit reporting issues. Previously, she was a Hanna S. Cohn Equal Justice Fellow at Empire Justice Center in Rochester, New York. She is a graduate of Seattle University School of Law, and holds a Masters of Social Work from the University of Washington, and a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College. She is a contributor to NCLC’s Student Loan Law and Fair Credit Reporting. She has also authored several ground-breaking reports, including: Pounding Student Loan Borrowers: The Heavy Costs of the Government/ Debt Collection Agency Partnership.

“With over $1.2 trillion dollars in student loan debt, student loans are unavoidable for most college students and their families,” said Yu. “But the stakes are even higher for low-income borrowers, who are not only targeted by predatory schools, but who also bear the brunt of the draconian consequences when that education does not fulfill its promise. I am proud to continue pushing to ensure their voices are heard.”

Since 2007, NCLC’s Student Loan Borrower Assistance Project has provided information about student loan rights and responsibilities for borrowers and advocates. NCLC advocates also work to increase public understanding of student lending issues and to identify policy solutions to promote access to education, lessen student debt burdens, and make loan repayment more manageable. In 2015, the Student Loan Borrower Assistance Project’s website received nearly 850,000 unique visits.