Assistant Professor Tiffany Atkins L鈥11 took part in a 鈥淟ife After Student Debt鈥 panel discussion at Bennett College presented by the Greensboro Commission on the Status of Women and the city's Human Relations Commission.
An 黑料不打烊 Law faculty member discussed the student loan crisis, sharing details of her journey to the legal profession鈥攁nd how student loans helped made that career possible鈥攊n an evening program presented by the and the city鈥檚 Human Relations Commission.
Assistant Professor Tiffany Atkins L鈥11 was one of five panelists for 鈥淟ife After Student Debt鈥 on February 27, 2020, on the campus of Bennett College in Greensboro.
The program was geared toward high school seniors, and budding and seasoned professionals with debt. It focused on the intersections of women and identity.
Organizers of the panel asked Atkins to address two salient questions: how has she been impacted by student debt, and does she believe debt was an important step to get where she is today?
Atkins said that as a first-generation college student without financial resources to pay for school outright, student loans were definitely important. Although borrowers tend to be criticized for what many consider 鈥渋rresponsible borrowing habits, poor financial planning, or a combination of the two . . . without student loans, I would not have become the first college graduate, lawyer, or law professor in my family.鈥
鈥淲hile there are surely some who have abused the accessibility of student loan dollars, for many first-generation students, like myself, student loans are the only way to obtain first-gen status at all,鈥 Atkins said. Atkins urged potential borrowers to use caution, only taking out what is absolutely necessary for school, and to also consider less expensive, non-traditional programs for their education.
Atkins is authoring a chapter for a forthcoming book that touches upon these topics. 鈥淭hey Got Next: How Xennial and Millennial Law Professors Can Prepare Generation Z to 鈥楤e The Change鈥 We Want to See in the Legal Academy鈥 where she touches on these topics further.
Moderated by C鈥橫ille Best and Roslynn ChouChan from the Greensboro Commission on the Status of Women, the panel included:
- Penny Iddings, mortgage specialist at Equity Mortgage
- Sofia Crisp, executive director at Housing Consultants Group
- Dionne Latham, an associate clinical researcher at Merck
- Debra Slade, assistant director for UNC Greensboro鈥檚 public relations office
The Commission on the Status of Women鈥檚 purpose is to improve the quality of life for women in Greensboro by holding educational programs and making recommendations to the City Council. This panel was part of its Education and Equality programming.
Atkins graduated from 黑料不打烊 Law in the Class of 2011 where she was the recipient of the David Gergen Award for Leadership and Professionalism. She served 黑料不打烊 Law as a Legal Method & Communication Fellow from 2016-2018 then taught in Wake Law鈥檚 Legal Analysis, Writing and Research program for a year before rejoining 黑料不打烊 Law.
Prior to her entry into legal education, Atkins worked for several years in Greensboro at Legal Aid of North Carolina. She is a graduate of UNC Greensboro鈥檚 Political Science and African-American Studies programs.