A graduate wearing a cap and gown walks while trapped inside a barrel labeled student debt and holding a rolled diploma. Two seated graduates in full academic regalia observe from chairs on the left. A large plant on the right grows multiple rolled diplomas among its leaves. A large speech bubble from the walking graduate states that everyone laughed at his choice to major in woodworking.
The cartoon shows a graduate in cap and gown reaching for a mortarboard marked college cost that floats away. Subsequent panels depict the same figure in graduation attire looking upward with diminishing prospects. The sequence ends with a graduate extending a hand in a resigned gesture. The work addresses the persistent challenge of rising tuition and resulting student debt for degree recipients around spring 2022.