'joinStampede' Utilizes Social Media To Tackle Student Debt Crisis

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — For students like USC sophomore Ariella Abrams – who are often buried under stacks of term papers and textbooks – college can also mean being buried under a mounting pile of debt.

"It's a lot to take on and it just becomes such a stresser," Abrams told CBS2's Louisa Hodge.

Katie Walsh has been feeling the burden of student debt for 10 years, which is why a new consumer movement caught her attention.

"Guidelines need to change and it's a serious issue," Walsh said.

JoinStampede.com is attempting to bring 100,000 people with student loans together in hopes of getting them refinanced at the same time.

"It's all about student debt; we're the world's first campaign to unite people with student debt," joinStampede Founder Stephen Dash said.

Dash hopes power in numbers can influence lenders to give mass rebates or discounts on private student loans.

"Young people can't afford to put down payments on houses, so if we can get together and use technology and use platforms like 'Causes' to aggregate people and create economic efficiencies, it's a win-win for everyone," he said.

JoinStampede partnered with Causes.com, the world's largest platform for social good. The hope is that students like Abrams won't have to bear the burden of their debt alone.

"This is a way to see that there are a lot of other people that are out there that are going through the same thing as you," she said.

It's free to become part of the campaign. You only need to register your name and email address at joinStampede.com by May 2.