Given Ocasio-Cortez’s historic election in the 2018 midterms, when she became the youngest woman to preside over the House of Representatives, the comparison was certainly a sensational one. But when presented with the figures showing more than 42 million Americans are burdened with the extortionate cost of tuition and fees for anywhere between 10-30 years, it’s not hard to see that the burden of significant debt is an unfortunate reality of many young adults’ lives.

At a House Financial Services Committee hearing this week, the New York Representative took up the mantle once more, as she revealed the extent of her own student debt, and in a move to emphasise her personal investment in the issue, made a payment on her student loan mid-meeting.

“I literally made a student loan payment while I was sitting here at this chair, and I looked at my balance, and it was $20,237.16,” she remarked during the hearing. “I just made a payment that took me down to $19,000 so I feel really accomplished right now.”

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez just made a powerful point about student debt