RALEIGH, N.C. – Student loan payments have officially resumed, and for many, so has the stress of working to pay off years of schooling.

Buka Onwuagba, along with nearly 37 million other people, had student loan payments resume in October. Onwuagba has more than $35,000 in debt and said just seeing that number can be overwhelming. 

On Wednesday, the White House announced student loans for more than 800,000 borrows would be forgiven. Officials said the borrowers will get an email telling them that their debt has been canceled.

It's not clear if Onwuagba is included in that 813,000.

Buka Onwuagba works as a payment processor for the Department of Revenue because it's steady work while he hopes to break into the music industry one day. (Spectrum News 1/Rachel Boyd)

“If I stress about it, like I'll never have rest because it's $35,000,” Onwaugba said. “I just keep chipping away, keep chipping away.”

Student loan payments were on hold for much of the pandemic and many people, including Onwuagba, saw a glimmer of hope at the mention of the possibility of debt forgiveness. 

“So this is a letter from the Federal Student Loan Department or U.S. Department of Education and so far they've sent me a couple letters, like two letters, and that's basically, they're trying to tell me really nicely right now that it's time to start paying up,” Onwuagba said. 

According to Forbes, more than half of students leave school with debt and the average student loan balance in North Carolina sits at more than $36,000.

“Here I am with a state job that I'm not really interested in, but it pays bills and I just do my passion on the side,” Onwuagba said. “Regardless, like I know that eventually I'll pay it off.”