Doralyn De Dios, a Brooklyn-based attorney, has made a lot of sacrifices because of her more than $250,000 in student loan debt.

She opened her own law practice several months ago after putting it off for years.

“Part of me was very hesitant because I thought, will I be able to make the student loan payments? Will I have to close up shop because I cannot afford my payments? And I think it’s very unfair,” she said.

De Dios is one of over 43 million Americans with federal student loan debt who could be affected by major steps the Biden administration is taking to provide student loan relief.

During a White House press briefing Wednesday, President Joe Biden announced several components to his plan, which included to cancel $10,000 in federal student loans for borrowers making less than $125,000 a year.

The administration plans to cancel $20,000 in federal student loans for Pell Grant recipients.

The pause on federal student loan payments and interest will also be extended until the start of 2023.

“People can start to finally crawl out from under that mountain of debt,” Biden said. “To get on top of their rent and their utilities. To finally think about buying a home or starting a family.”

Federal education officials also plan to reform the income-driven repayment plan so that people making a certain amount of money pay less toward their loans.

For people, like De Dios, who have a quarter of a million dollars in student loan debt, the measures may not make much of a difference.

“It feels like a drop in the bucket,” she said.

De Dios, who identifies as Afro-Latina, is also among the people of color, particularly Black and Latina women, who carry the highest rates of student debt, according to a report by the Community Service Society.

Dwayne Kwaysee Wright, an assistant professor and director of diversity at George Washington University who studies student debt, holds over $360,000 in student debt.

“The cost of college is what’s really pushing this up,” he said. “If we are truly a nation, that’s dedicated to educating our young and educating our youth, where ignorance is cheap and education is expensive.”

“I believe that education is the number one thing in America and if the government doesn’t help support education, I am not sure how as a nation we can continue to grow,” De Dios said.

Some Republican lawmakers are pushing back against the plan, accusing Biden of using it to win more votes while leaving taxpayers to foot the bill.

Some progressives have called for Biden to cancel even more student loan debt.

Meanwhile, Biden said this is the last time federal student loan payments and interest, which have been extended four times, will be paused.