U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona visited UFT headquarters on April 8 to meet UFT members who benefited from the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Iolani Grullon, a kindergarten teacher at PS 48 in Manhattan, is one of thousands of UFT members who have had their loans forgiven with the assistance of the Student Debt Relief Program, which helps UFT members explore their options and apply for federal loan forgiveness. “Having my loans forgiven had a huge impact on my family,” Grullon told Cardona. “I am a single mom. I think we went on our first family vacation the year that my loans were forgiven.” Cardona’s visit preceded the Biden administration’s announcement of a new federal student loan forgiveness plan that would benefit more than 20 million borrowers nationwide. “Sometimes we normalize some of the conditions that we wouldn’t accept in any other industry,” Cardona said of educators struggling under heavy student debt burdens.