As a college student in Wyoming, Riley Talamantes pictured herself living in the Cowboy State after completing her studies because of the community she built and the sense of self she developed while living in Laramie. Yet, in the end, she left Wyoming for work opportunities in the Pacific Northwest.

At the beginning of the year, Katie Overstreet, 25, could not wait to get her bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado.

For Emily Tutt, any amount of student loan forgiveness is a relief.

Tutt, 28, is completing her medical residency at Wyoming Family Practice in Casper and owes about $180,000 in student loan debt for her medical education at the University of North Texas in Fort Worth.