Five months ago, Elon alumna Jaclyn Cabral was $90,000 in debt with student loans and not sure what her future held. After graduating in May 2011, Cabral expected to enter the job market immediately, but instead she became one of the numerous students struggling under the weight of her loans.

"You can't get a good job without an education but you can't get an education without being in debt," she said in a previous interview. "It's a vicious cycle."

Today, two-thirds of college students rely on loans to finance their education, up a third from 10 years ago, averaging $24,000 based on graduates from the Class of 2009.

President Barack Obama recently introduced a Pay As You Earn repayment plan, allowing those with student loans to reduce their monthly payments to 10 percent of their income and forgive all debts after 20 years. But many have resorted to defaulting on their payments, which then hurts their credit score.

Cabral originally claimed forbearance on her loans, indicating to her lender she was experiencing a financial hardship and was unable to pay. Though Cabral recently secured a job, her debt continues to influence her opportunities and future.

Q: Last time we spoke, you said you were hoping to find a job by January. How has that turned out?

A: I got an internship in October at Communispace, a company working in market research, and interned for three months and started a full job there the first week of January. I studied strategic communications, so it's definitely in my major and not boring.

Q: What was the job search like for you?

A: I literally started stalking alumni. There was one I knew who moved to Boston, and I just kept checking her Facebook and Twitter. I started emailing her, asking for tips for the job search. At the same time, I was in communication with Ross Wade, (assistant director of career services for the School of Communications). When positions opened up at her company, the alumna said I'd like it here and advised me to check it out. Ross then emailed me and told me about the open positions. I got two emails in the same day about the same position. I applied and two days later I had a phone interview. I was brought in Monday, offered the job on Tuesday, accepted on Wednesday and started the following Monday.

Q: What is the current state of your loans?

A: Some are still being deferred (a postponing of payment) until February. One stopped being deferred so I had to start paying on that. It's not hard to defer knowing that I have a full-time job, even though they're still ridiculous. I saved money this summer and it helped having an internship. I'm still making payments and I've talked to people telling me I need to look into consolidating my private loans so, instead of having three to four payments, only paying one.

Q: How have your student loan payments influenced your personal finances?

A: I have a real-person job so things seem to be looking up, but how the hell am I ever going to move out of my parents' house? People do it so I know it's possible. I have to figure out how much I'm making. I still have to budget out chunks and start saving for my own place. My ideal is moving out of my house – that's my goal but I don't know how long it's going to take. I want to pay off a few things before I move out, which is on hold. I don't have my own car and I'm not hoping to buy one.

Q: Do you regret taking out student loans to pay for your education?

A: Elon was a phenomenal experience. When I started the job, they look through where your skills are so you can get accounts. I could say I've used video editing and design work, and my creativity from Elon transfers over. It's really nice. I'm one of the few people who can do this, and I have a leg up for certain projects.

Q: Last time we spoke, you said your sister was taking a year off due to your family's financial situation. How is she doing now?

A: She did take a year off and is currently au pairing in Munich, Germany. She's living out there through July. Now that she's gotten away from home, she re- applied to four in-state schools. She realized she doesn't need to go that far away. She also doesn't want to have to deal with what I have, and she wanted in- state tuition.