Dear Mr. Trump and Secretary Clinton,

My name is Quentin Judas. I am originally from Hudson, Iowa but, this is my third year at the University of South Dakota. After coming to USD as a business major, I decided that I wanted to do something that I thought would make the world a better place. So, I decided to change my major and become an elementary school teacher instead. Becoming a teacher was something that I never really thought that I would ever do. Originally, my life path was to take a walk down Businessman Boulevard and open up my own company. I spent many years selling things through various sales and other things. I had many people telling me I should just skip college and go and start my own business. I decided that college would be a wise investment to make sure that the business I ran was run right. After a year and a half of classes I realized something was missing. I had spent much of my life up to this point working with kids, and since I had gone to college, the amount of time invested had dwindled. I missed the times that I had babysat or when I was a nanny. I missed the times of when I was a tutor for children who had problems in class and given up.

I have two questions that I would like to ask you. Did you ever have a teacher who stood out in your life that made you want to be better? One who made you become who you are today? I bet that teachers name popped up in your head almost instantly. While South Dakota did just pass a tax to raise the income of teachers in the state, there is one issue with that. The issue is that that helps out many teachers who have already had their feet planted in the state and have many years behind them. This is my sister’s first year as a fully employed teacher (she is a teacher in Faith, South Dakota). We both grew up in a home where we did fine with money but had no way to pay for school out of pocket; we both have had to take out loans to pay for school. When she received her job she found out how much she was going to make, she also found out how much her student loans were going to cost per month. She had barely enough money to stay afloat after her student loans, rent and utilities, and other expenses, not including food. I am worried that if I do not get a full time job right out of college as a teacher that I may begin to drown in the debt that I have or will have, causing me to move to another state to find work. I do love South Dakota and the people that I have met have made me feel like I am a South Dakotan, as they really treat me like family (even though I am a darn Iowan). My second question is now this: What can you do to help me, my classmates, and all of the present and future teachers, to stay in South Dakota and make this state as great as it truly is, because starting out at $30,000 is hard with student loans.

Sincerely, a destined teacher concerned for the future,

Quentin Judas