Gina Rodriguez may have a hit TV show, a Golden Globe award, and two more nominations under her belt, but up until last year, she had college loans to deal with just like everyone else.
Gina stopped by The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on Wednesday night to talk about her upcoming film, The Star, and opened up about her struggle with student debt. “I just paid it off,” she admitted excitedly. Yes!
According to People, the 32-year-old Jane the Virgin star graduated in 2006 with a bachelors of fine arts degree from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, and it took her 11 years to settle her finances. Coincidentally, says People, she was able to make her final payment on the same day she was nominated for her second Golden Globe last year.
“So…a TV star with a hit show took 11 years to pay off her student loans?” Colbert asked, visibly surprised at her admission.
“Yeah, dude! College education is so expensive, but it’s so necessary,” she responded. “I would never change it for the world. But yes, it took me way too long.”
For Gina, having the opportunity to receive higher education was a really big deal. In a recent interview with Lena Dunham, she shared that neither of her parents went to college and that her sister, Ivelisse, was the first in her family. “My dad would always tell me, ‘You can do poorly. I’m going to be alright, but are you? Your education doesn’t belong to me. It’s yours, only you own it, but no one can take it away from you. So own it, so get it.’ ” Own it she does, along with a Golden Globe award to prove it.
You can watch Gina’s interview with Stephen Colbert below, and read more about how to deal with student debt here.