Although Leslie has been chipping away at her student loan debt for about 15 years, she says it's been worth it in order to pursue her passion. Leslie used her DoorDash side hustle to help pay down her student loan debt. Leslie used her early DoorDash earnings to eliminate her car loan, then began throwing the rest at her remaining student loan balance. "It was really important that I got a lot of my student loan debt taken care of because then I was able to dedicate that back into myself and my health and my mental wellness," she says. Working toward a debt-free futureAlthough Leslie says her student loan debt is at a more manageable level, she plans to continue working part-time as a DoorDash delivery driver for now.

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Persons: Shonnita Leslie, Leslie, it's, It's, Roth, she'll Organizations: CNBC, Public, Fi Insurance, Hulu, Roth IRA Locations: Connecticut, Houston , Texas, Houston, Leslie's, Texas, DoorDash