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A video of a dad—who "cleaned pools" so he could send his daughter to her "dream college"—realizing that her student debt has been canceled by the government has gone viral on TikTok.
The clip was posted by Nika Diwa (@nikadiwa) and has had 27.9 million views since it was shared last year.
The footage, posted on December 19, shows a woman sitting in a car holding her hand over her mouth. A message across the video reads: "My dad sent me to a college he couldn't afford and just found out the government forgave the entire loan."
The clip then shows a man standing by a Christmas tree while opening a letter. After carefully scanning it, he appears stunned and in tears, while holding the letter against his forehead with his eyes closed before the clip ends.
A caption shared with the post reads: "He cleaned pools so I could live my dream. This is the best Christmas gift."
@nikadiwa He cleaned pools so I could live my dream. This is the best christmas gift ??? #dad
♬ New Home - Frozen Silence
President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that his administration is canceling $1.2 billion in student debt for around 153,000 borrowers who are eligible under a new repayment plan known as Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE).
The Biden administration initially planned to begin student loan forgiveness under the SAVE plan in July, but it is now taking effect nearly six months ahead of schedule.
In a statement on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said the Biden administration has now approved loan forgiveness for nearly 3.9 million borrowers.
He said: "Moving forward, borrowers who meet the eligibility criteria for forgiveness under the SAVE Plan will have their loans automatically discharged with no action needed on their part."
The U.S. Department of Education will continue to "identify and discharge the loans on a regular basis" and next week, it will "start emailing borrowers who can become eligible for this forgiveness if they switch onto SAVE," Cardona noted.
'He Deserves the Whole World'
The poster of the aforementioned viral clip shared a follow-up video on January 6, in which she asks her dad about why he sent her to her "dream college when he couldn't afford it."
The footage shows the woman sitting next to her dad, asking: "Why did you let me go to school in New York when you knew we didn't have the money?"
The dad replies: "When you're a parent and you see your child has a gift, it is your responsibility to grow that gift. It's faith over fear."
A caption shared with the post says: "Still can't believe the government forgave 💯 of my student loans. So grateful to have a dad who had faith over fear."
Users on TikTok were moved to tears by the latest video.
User @adhdee wrote: "This was so worth it for him, the loan forgiveness was just a bonus."
Adelaine Morin said: "he deserves the whole world."
User damnUnozy noted: "I cried for him. The relief. The purpose. The hard work. A better life for his baby. The American dream."
User @miya.amor_ wrote: "Why am I crying with him."
User kickin_rox said: "I wasn't planning on crying today but thanks."
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok and email. This video has not been independently verified.
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About the writer
Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in Read more