A mother borrowed $28,000 to help her son become a photographer in California. Ten years later, they're both still paying for a college that no longer exists

Christine Gaussoin wanted a brighter future for her son, Kendrick, where he was able to make a career out of his passion, photography. Brooks Institute in Ventura, California, was a school that she thought would be able to make his dream come true, NPR reported. Unfortunately, a decade from now, the college does not exist anymore, Kendrick did not receive a diploma, and the mother and son are now battling with the weight of their student loan debt.

The choice of Christine to fund the education of her son came along with the idea that the latter would find doors open because of that. However, according to her, the debts remained even after the college that took all their money closed.

It has come back into play as a result of litigation regarding student loan forgiveness in America.


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The lawsuit brought against the Trump administration claims that the US Department of Education is not abiding by the eligibility requirements that will help former Brooks Institute students get their federal student loans forgiven.

The issue poses a dilemma for those who put their trust in an educational institution, wondering what should happen in the event of its closure.

A photography degree that left a family with mounting debt

Brooks Institute was formerly known as an esteemed institution for studying photography and visual arts. It started in 1945, and it recruited students interested in developing careers as photographers.

However, after its acquisition in 1999, Brooks Institute has since been plagued by low student enrollment and criticism by borrowers over the school's misleading information concerning tuition costs, graduation and job placement.

Kendrick joined the institution to study for a Bachelor of Photography. His mother, who had recently undergone total knee surgery and lived with disabilities, applied for Parent PLUS loans to pay for his tuition.

Christine says that she had initially thought that the funds would suffice until she was told otherwise.

Kendrick had taken out federal student loans in his name to pursue his studies further.

He had aspirations of completing his education and establishing himself, but his hopes were shattered when he reached Ventura College only to realise that the institution was closed, as the doors were chained up.

The closing down of this institution made it impossible for students to graduate from there. For Kendrick, the experience was really disappointing, as he had not been able to complete his education but had debt as a consequence of taking the course that had not brought him success.

Now, Kendrick has about $22,000 in student loans, while Christine has about $28,000. They both work in the retail sector.

Why the mother and son are still fighting for student loan forgiveness

Under the laws of the US Federal government, an eligible borrower is able to obtain a closed school discharge if the college closes down. This program enables the discharge of an eligible student loan under the federal government, but it all depends on several factors such as the time when the borrower enrolled or the time he/she left the institution.

The rules for borrowers applying for standard discharge require them to have enrolled at the time when the college closed or to have withdrawn within six months before that time.

Kendrick did not fall into the category, as he was on an eight-month leave from December 2015 to work as a photographer. By the time Kendrick got back to college, Brooks Institute was closing down.

Things began to look up at the end of the Biden administration.

On January 2025, the Education Department expanded the window period of eligibility for those borrowers who had attended several institutions that had been shut down by the government.

Now borrowers who had enrolled from May 6, 2015, could be eligible for loan forgiveness and refund of all past payments.

It looked like Kendrick met the new qualifications. But he had received a denial letter from the department dated August 31, 2026, as he did not qualify for the traditional requirements.

Christine was also not successful with her application under the new set of rules, which she believed were applicable to her case.

Now these two borrowers are still in the same position regarding debt repayment that they wanted to get rid of.

A lawsuit puts the future of closed college debt relief in question

A nonprofit organization called Student Defense representing borrowers filed a lawsuit on behalf of Kendrick and thousands of other students in federal court.

According to the complaint, the Department of Education cannot ignore the expanded guidelines for eligibility, which have been adopted on the basis of authority that the department has employed in the past.

The position of the Trump administration has been defended.

An Education Department spokesperson named Ellen Keast stated to NPR that the programme had been improperly expanded by the outgoing Biden administration.

The situation has revealed some inconsistency.

In 2019, when Donald Trump was the president of the United States, the former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos utilised the same authority to expand the time period for the discharge of closed schools in case of the closure of the Art Institute of Colorado and the Illinois Institute of Art.

Department personnel from former administrations have also warned against delaying application processing under the revised regulations during the changeover between administrations. The Student Defense contends that revoking the policy would necessitate a well-founded legal justification as opposed to declining to enforce it.

The impact may be felt by those who attended the institutions under the revised regulations, although the claims in the suit still remain unconfirmed by a court.

As far as Kendrick and Christine are concerned, the legal issues have a tangible economic implication.

Their debts are estimated at $50,000, which were amassed while studying for the qualifications they have never received.

At present, Kendrick is a married man with two young kids.

He works at an online store and notes that years spent struggling to get ahead have not been easy for him. At the same time, his mother cannot help wondering if she is going to pay off her loans one day.

The college, which used to promise Kendrick a bright career as a photographer, does not exist anymore. However, the debts that have been incurred as a result of attending it have had a long-lasting impact on the life of Kendrick's family.