I'm 24 And Drowning In Debt That's In My Name But Was For My Mother's Business. Don't Know What To Do Anymore.

I'm 24, from Jamaica. I have an associate's degree in IT, and I just got accepted to university for computing, which was supposed to be my way out. Instead, I feel like my life is caving in, and I need to know if anyone has been through anything like this.

Here's the situation. I'm a director of my mother's small business (she's the CEO). Over the past year she asked me to take out loans in MY name because her credit couldn't get them—for the survival of the company. I did it. Multiple loans, hundreds of thousands, all in my name. At the time it felt like just helping family.

Then two hurricanes wrecked our home and the business stock. Payments slipped. Now there's a bailiff and a collection agency calling my phone constantly. They've given me three different amounts for the same debt in one single week, and when I asked for an official statement to verify the real number, they told me I'd have to come in and pay for it and it wouldn't change anything.

The debt is the smaller problem, honestly. The bigger one is my mom. Every time I try to step back, she tells me my only job is to 'be there and sign whatever the company needs. 'When I told her I wanted to take out a student loan and actually go to university, she said I'd be 'getting trapped in the system. ' When I push back, she compares herself to Jesus being crucified. I feel like I'm not allowed to have my own life or protect my own name.

I can't get a job no matter how many places I apply. I'm waiting on scholarship decisions I might not get. And I'm terrified about what happens with all this debt in my name.

My questions:

- Has anyone gotten out of a situation where they took on debt for a family member's business and it went bad? How did you handle it?

- How do you set a boundary with a parent who guilt-trips you every time you say no?

- For anyone in Jamaica specifically, what are my actual options here, and how worried should I realistically be?

I just need to hear from people who've survived something like this. I feel completely alone, and I don't know what the right move is anymore.

Thanks for reading.