RESTON, Va., Aug. 6, 2009—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.
For more information contact:
Patricia Nash Christel (703) 984-5382
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 $192 billion in education loans and serves 10 million student and parent customers. Through its Upromise affiliates, the company also manages more than $21 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 $500 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.