I’ve worked for the GET Prepaid Tuition Plan for a little over 20 years, and every hour of that time has been spent in the Finance Department. For those who might not know, the GET Program helps families save for higher education expenses, helping ensure that students have the resources they need to pursue their goals. That means that my team and I keep a close eye on every dollar coming into the Program and every dollar going out. My days are filled with tracking, verifying, and making sure each dollar goes where it’s supposed to. It’s a big responsibility, and one I’ve been proud to be part of for a long time.

Over the years, I’ve seen firsthand just how much GET can do. During my time here, the Program has paid out more than $1.63 billion toward school expenses, helping over 72,200 unique students use their savings for higher education. 

Part of my job is making these payments to schools or reimbursing customers for expenses they’ve already paid for. Since this happens almost every day, it could be easy for the payments to start feeling routine. Just another line item, just another day, just a job.

Somehow, these 20 years have flown by faster than I could have imagined, and faster than I was prepared for. When I started working for GET, I didn’t have any kids. Now I have three teenaged daughters! (Help!) Somewhere between spreadsheets and school drop-offs – between meetings and middle school track meets, 20 years quickly and quietly slipped past.

Twenty years of new school years starting every fall. Twenty years of excited high school graduates taking their next steps. Twenty years of thousands of payments to schools.

This last fall, though, one payment we made felt a little different. This one was not just another transaction or another line on a report. It was one that caught me off guard, and I wasn’t prepared for the emotions it would bring. 

GET made a payment for a very special student (and my favorite college student of all time) - my oldest daughter. As this payment was being made, I realized that this was my own daughter stepping into her college adventure, like GET has been helping create for 72,000 others. I couldn’t help but feel a mix of pride, nostalgia, and, honestly, some disbelief. For her whole life, she has known that my job is about helping families save. Now she and I are seeing what that looks like “for reals.”

After dedicating more than twenty years to the GET Program, seeing our GET savings now benefit my own family was a surprising full-circle moment. Helping my daughter prepare for college and talking about her future with her helped me reopen my mind to the significance of this job. It reminded me that behind every payment made is a real family preparing for their moment, and a real student pursuing their own goals and dreams.