As a millennial, I live in a world where I have so many options available to me. When I go to Cheesecake Factory and am about to dine on cheesecake, I have over 100 options available to me. I am able to specify how I’d like my cake to be prepared. But with options there is always a chance I might not have the money to get everything I want. And so I get it on credit. I borrow a little at first, then as I keep borrowing and borrowing the amount I owe accumulates and the interest will be tagging behind too. At the end of the day I barely have enough to pay for what I want and paying for my debt will be a hassle in itself. And there are so many options on literally everything and it’s so hard to resist the temptation to get what I want when I want it.

However, when I heard about the Up To Us campaign through a friend, whose mission is to raise awareness on the national debt, I began to understand how my spending habits as a sample model of a nation’s spending could majorly affect my future and that of every single individual in the nation. I got psyched and joined forces with my colleagues on a mission to raise awareness at Spelman and the surrounding community in Atlanta.

I am generally not conscious of my financial habits. I know I do like to be comfortable and own a lot of nice things. I have always wondered about the government and the money it spends on aid, infrastructure and social security among other things. Up To Us was a chance for me to step out of my comfort zone and tackle an issue that is very prevalent in society but is not given much attention. I realized that I had a voice and I could use it to make others aware of the situation and together help the government take more action on the issue of fiscal debt. National debt is shockingly standing at over $18 trillion dollars, meaning each person comes in for over $50 000 in debt.

As a computer science major, I appreciate the changes in technology happening daily. What could be done with a cellphone 10 years ago is nothing compared to the popular smartphone today. Computers have made our lives so much easier. With many people accessing the internet which in the past could only be accessed by the government means there is a greater chance of data being mishandled and causing damage. Money has to be invested in order to prevent possible security breaches. This is just an example of how money is used. But the amount of national debt is increasing. I care because that potentially means there will be higher taxes, higher interest rates, weaker job markets and price inflations to mention just a few impending problems. I desire to have a stable job when I complete my studies and I definitely do not want the economy to be unstable.

Our journey has been interesting. My team and I had to carefully strategize a way of reaching out to the Spelman community in order to get as many people talking about debt as we possibly could. We had an event during the semester where we invited a Congresswoman and an economics professor to speak on national debt. Students showed up and we had a very informative discussion on the topic. I learned about how as a student I can do something to reduce the amount of national debt. Some of those ways include spending within my means, saving up for the future and paying it forward. I have to remember those who have gone before me who made a choice to store up wealth for this generation and also donate some of the money that I will make to charity. I have to think into the future and actively participate in governmental fiscal decisions. They will hear us. We have a voice and it is loud. We will stop the trend and our government will work to address it.

There is a future before us, one which even dreams could never depict. It is very bright and we owe it to ourselves to think of the future generations. It’s up to me, it’s up to you, it’s up to us.