I joined WANDA seeking a fresh start in my financial journey. Like many single mothers, I do my best to care for my son who is autistic and has an anxiety diagnosis, while growing my custom apparel business and staying ahead of the high cost of living in the Bay Area.
With WANDA, I have found more than just a refresher financial literacy course; I have gained practical tools, renewed confidence, and a supportive community. In 2016, I took a financial literacy course offered by Peninsula Family Services, which was a great first-step in my financial journey. But over the last decade, I ended up in some financial trouble and I needed to regain my financial footing. I learned about WANDA through my housing coordinator and the program seemed like the perfect fit for me.
Now, as a WANDA Mom, I have learned about long-term financial tools like Roth IRAs, re-strengthened my budgeting and saving goals, and started to shift my mindset from short-term survival to long-term planning. WANDA gives me hope to be able to save for me and my family. I have noticed my mindset around money is changing — I don’t want to just focus on now, I want to focus on my future.
A key differentiator of WANDA’s program for me was its matched savings component. For the first time, I have been able to successfully build my savings and work towards a concrete goal: becoming a first-time homeowner. Not only does the matched savings keep me motivated, but I feel supported and no longer like I’m facing life alone. I now have a community of other like-minded women who want to grow, who want to learn how to be financially stable, and who want to build successful careers. Thanks to WANDA, I feel like I have a real opportunity to be a first-time homebuyer because someone truly believes in me and is actively investing in my future.
In addition to becoming a homeowner, I want to grow my small business and eventually launch a nonprofit supporting parents of children on the autism spectrum. From WANDA’s skill set assessment and goal-setting courses, I know I can help other parents with children on the spectrum to better navigate the systems and find the resources they need to thrive.
For me, WANDA is a catalyst. WANDA doesn’t just teach financial literacy skills, it shows single mothers that someone is willing to invest in you and your future. It’ll take work, but if you stick with it you’ll learn ways to organize your life, set tangible goals, and structure yourself so that your future can be financially stable.