Springfield Technical Community College was the final stop on U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s “Student Debt Cancellation Tour” that rolled across the state on Tuesday, Oct. 25.

“We are thrilled to be the ‘caboose’ on this day, on a very important topic,” said STCC President John B. Cook who introduced the lawmakers.

Dr. Cook also introduced local elected officials who came to the event in the Forum of the Student Learning Commons: Holyoke City Councilor Juan C. Anderson-Burgos; Springfield City Councilors Lavar Click-Bruce and Justin Hurst; State Sen. Adam Gomez; state Rep. Carlos Gonzalez, state Rep. Orlando Ramos, and state Rep. Jake Oliveira.

Scenes from Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s visit to STCC. (Bottom right photo of Dr. Shai Butler with Warren and Pressley by Ed Cohen. Other photos by Jim Danko).

“We’re thrilled as a community college to help have this conversation,” Coook said. “When we think of student debt cancellation, it invites a conversation about affordability. When we talk about college affordability, you get to the value the community colleges offer. You cannot beat our equity on ramp to higher education as a community college.”

At STCC, more than 50 percent of students are Pell grant-eligible. More than 50 percent of students are of color.

“We are part of that equity and access conversation. We are thrilled to be a part – a small part – to host this conversation,” Cook said before introducing Sen. Warren.

Warren said she was happy to be at STCC, which was the fourth and final stop on her tour with Pressley.

The lawmakers spoke to an audience of about 100 gathered in the forum, which included people from STCC as well as area residents who came with questions about debt cancellation. The event was also a chance for borrowers to sign up for student loan relief. Read more about their visit in MassLive.

Warren and Pressley pointed out that applying for debt relief online takes less than two minutes. To apply for Federal Student Loan Debt Relief, visit studentaid.gov.

The plan will benefit 43 million people and 800,000 eligible borrowers in Massachusetts, Pressley said.

In addition to STCC, the lawmakers visited the Grove Hall Branch of the Boston Public Library in Dorchester, Massasoit Community College in Brockton and UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester.

After the event, Warren and Pressley posed for pictures with attendees in front of the STCC banner.