The victory marked the starting point for what's become Smith's raison d'être to help as many student loan borrowers as possible. But of those who did, around 60% managed to get a discharge of some portion of their student debt, Iuliano found. And thanks to a widely-held belief that student debt is categorically exempt from discharge, few are willing to take that chance. "I have $50k student debt, no degree, was a victim of attempted murder, out of work, and homeless," reads another. Austin SmithEventually, he says, he vowed to make it his life's cause to help the student loan borrowers.

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