- The Washington Times - Monday, January 20, 2014

Call it capitalism at its best — or student ingenuity on display. But loan-burdened University of Michigan-Flint international business major Alex Benda thinks he’s found a way to get a jump on his student loans: selling space on his graduation ceremony cap to advertisers.

“It’s scary to think I’m about to go out into this economy and try to find a job and have all this debt I’ll have to start paying,” said Mr. Benda, 22, in USA Today. “I started thinking, ’Do I have anything available to sell?’ “

Yes, he decided — the top of his graduation cap.

He hopes to make a dent in his $30,000 student loan by selling 10-inch by 10-inch cubes on his hat to whomever will buy. The squares — and there are 100 of them, he said — will start at $300 each. He’s already raised $1,200 from the sales, he said.

“I aspire to be an entrepreneur and love out-of-the-box thinking to solve everyday problems,” he said in a website posting reported by USA Today. “I realized that I would have the eyes of every graduating student and their families on me as I walked across the stage to accept my diploma.”

An estimated 62 percent of Michigan’s college students leave school with an average $28,840 in debt.

• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.

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