SoFi: The Most Epic Student Loan Graduation by Genpop

As roughly 3.9 million people in the US get ready to strut across a stage at a college or university graduation with a diploma in hand, they may not realize that they can't truly celebrate until they pay off their student loans.

Many grads will join over 44 million Americans with student debt, totaling $1.5 trillion, according to personal finance company SoFi. It’s no surprise, then, that graduating from debt can feel just as momentous as graduating from school.

SoFi made that moment of relief from student debt a grand occasion for one Midwestern woman, captured in a video. The company surprised Candice, a SoFi member who had refinanced her student debt, with an epic surprise “debt graduation” ceremony with friends, family, and some unconventional surprises planned by the company, together with production and entertainment studio Genpop.

The video shows Candice, who thought she was being flown to Malibu, CA, for a SoFi community member event, as she goes from being greeted by a marching band, seeing her friends and family who had been secretly flown in and donning a purple graduation cap and gown. Then we see her taking in a special dance squad by celebrity choreographer Richy Jackson, her own private graduation ceremony with Instagram-famous dog JiffPom, to finally taking off in a SoFi branded hot air balloon.