Sallie Mae and its affiliate Upromise Investments today announced a 529
college savings plan contribution on an episode of the new TNT show
Wedding Day, a series that gives deserving brides and grooms a helping
hand to ensure they get the wedding of their dreams. Sallie Mae awarded
$15,000 to the couple to help the bride invest in medical school to
achieve her dream of becoming a doctor. Sallie Mae is the nation’s
leading saving, planning and paying for education company; its saving
product line is Upromise Investments.
As an infant, the bride, Trine Engebretsen, received a liver transplant,
the first such surgery in the state of Florida. The groom, Ryan Labbe,
is still recovering from the liver transplant that he received just last
year. Trine’s unique experience instilled in her a love of medicine, and
after earning a master’s degree in biomedical science at Barry
University, in Miami Shores, Florida, she is a member of the inaugural
class of the Florida International University College of Medicine in
Miami. The $15,000 will go towards her education expenses.
The couple was presented with the check during their rehearsal dinner by
Dr. Thomas Starzl, the surgeon who operated on Trine years earlier, who
is known as “the father of modern transplantation” and Trine’s long-time
idol.
“Dr. Starzl said that many people believed in me and they wanted to do
everything they could to help me accomplish my dreams,” said Trine.
“That is exactly what Sallie Mae has done: help me achieve what I have
always been dreaming of...becoming a physician.”
“Trine and Ryan both have big dreams, and Sallie Mae is happy to help
this couple invest in themselves so that they may be successful,” said
Joe DePaulo, executive vice president and chief marketing officer.
The episode aired recently on TNT. A clip is available online at www.salliemae.com/weddingday.
SLM Corporation (NYSE: SLM), commonly known as Sallie Mae, is the
nation’s leading provider of saving, planning and paying for education
programs. Through its subsidiaries, the company manages $188 billion in
education loans and serves 10 million student and parent customers.
Through its Upromise affiliates, the company also manages more than $19
billion in 529 college-savings plans, and is a major, private source of
college funding contributions in America with 11 million members and
more than $475 million in member rewards. Sallie Mae and its
subsidiaries offer debt management services as well as business and
technical products to a range of business clients, including higher
education institutions, student loan guarantors and state and federal
agencies. More information is available at www.salliemae.com.
SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are not sponsored by or agencies of
the United States of America.
Sallie Mae
Patricia Nash Christel, +1-703-984-5682
patricia.christel@salliemae.com
