Sarah Killingsworth's Fundraiser
Help architecture grads get relief from student debt!
Help us create a pathway out of debt for graduates of architecture school.
Stephen Parker
"Sarah has been an amazing advocate for the profession. Happy to donate to address student debt in the industry."
$50
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Stephen Parker
"Sarah has worked tirelessly to address student debt for aspiring architects. Happy to help the next generation in her name. "
$50
Hunter Douglas Architectural
"Donating in support of recent grads. Becoming an architect is an increasingly costly proposition. Join us in helping alleviate student debt."
$400
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Mermet USA
"Mermet USA is proud to support education debt relief within the architectural industry - building their own futures and ours one project at a time!"
$500
An estimated 44.7 million Americans owe approximately $1.5 trillion in student loan debt. According to an American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) poll of recent graduate students, respondents owed an average of $40,000 in accumulated debt after graduation. Meanwhile, 42% of Americans between 18-29 years old have no retirement savings, according to a report by the Federal Reserve. Few enjoy the luxury of saving anything for their retirement, and even fewer can reach the industry-recommended standard of setting aside 12–15 percent of gross income for retirement savings.
Becoming an architect is an increasingly costly prospect. Join me in helping build a pathway to debt relief and financial literacy. This initiative is part of a multifaceted effort by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and Architects Foundation to lead graduates to a more affordable, healthy, and equitable future in the profession for Architecture.
I hope you'll join me in supporting the promising next generation of architects through this fundraiser.
My Story:
Almost all of my educational decisions were motivated by finances - choosing to complete general education at a community college before starting and during the summers of an architecture degree, selecting a nearby university that wouldn't require me to live on campus so I could save money using public transit, passing on study abroad and conference trips, and continuing to work during each school semester. Graduating with the minimal debt load of $17,000 was my reward, but it kept me from pursuing a master's degree after. While my story, and my debt burden, is nothing compared to many of my peers, I can only image what college life might have been like had money and the debt I was incurring each semester not been the most important concern in my academic experience. The capabilities and choices of many promising students and young architecture professionals is limited by the realities of debt and the life-long limitations this has on home ownership or career choices. My advocacy and activism on this issue is geared toward relieving and someday eliminating this burden from future generations of architectural degree-seekers, in the interest of a more vibrant, empathetic, and diverse profession.
The Architects Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) organization, EIN 59-3819154. Learn more about the Architects Foundation at architectsfoundation.org
Learn about AIA's advocacy efforts to reduce student loan debt