It’s been 10 years since I participated in WANDA! I’ve been working for the City of San José for five years now, in the housing department. My role is to drive housing development in Silicon Valley while ensuring developers comply with the requirements of the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance program.
I’m also proud to report that I just graduated from San José State University with my master’s degree in Urban Planning and an Advanced certificate in Affordable Housing and Community Development. I’m super excited and very proud of myself for accomplishing something that I would have never imagined.
My son (who’s 18 years old now!) came to my graduation, and after I walked across the stage, he told me, “I’m very proud of you, Mom.” To hear that my baby was proud of me… it was a very heartfelt moment. I could have gone anywhere in life — But I became a teen mom, and now I have my master’s degree. My high school self would never have thought of pursuing higher education; I really wasn’t all that focused on graduating from high school. But here I am.
And I am forever thankful for having WANDA as a part of my journey. Ten years later, the program’s teachings have continued to empower me. It was in the workshops where I was able to build the confidence I needed to fully understand what I’m capable of. Sometimes, you don’t realize how much you need to hear that someone is rooting for you. When I was a teenager, I never dreamed that this would be my walk in life, but that was my perception built from the environment I was living in. Before WANDA, I had such limited beliefs about my life. I had no idea I could do so much more.
I wouldn’t have gained this confidence if I hadn’t found WANDA and the other moms who were in that cohort with me. There are moms that I met 10 years ago that I still talk to to this day. We’re always encouraging each other to go after a new job or an opportunity that feels too big. And this is what WANDA is all about: building a community to empower single moms to believe in themselves—to reach for things that used to seem impossible.
I felt like I didn’t have a voice when I was younger, but once I learned and realized that I’m an agent of change within myself, and also within my community, something clicked. I started to feel courageous and empowered to go out into the world and begin making moves for myself and my child. It’s funny, I remember this one workshop where the instructor was trying to teach us about financial stability, real basic stuff. I think the whole class was with me, but I felt like it wasn’t really getting into the nitty-gritty of how to attain it. So I asked if he could teach us about stocks instead. “How can we grow the pennies we literally have to our names?” I asked, ready to learn something that I could actually take action on. Thanks to Barbara and Flo for encouraging me to advocate for myself and to believe that I am capable of so much more.
My cohort of women was very active, and we all wanted more than what we were getting out of life. I still think back on how, despite all of us struggling in various ways, we all wanted better lives for ourselves and our children. For me, this was really powerful — we all come from different walks of life, but we all want the same thing: a better future.
WANDA gave me the tools for my future self to succeed. At the moment, I didn’t have much to save and couldn’t even contribute to a 401k. But thanks to the knowledge I gained, when I did get that better job and they offered me the opportunity to contribute to a retirement plan, I knew I should! That’s the key. Some of us probably wouldn’t have done it because we didn’t know how or what it even means to contribute. WANDA gives you the education that you need to become financially secure.
Not only have I carried financial literacy with me, but I have also passed on some lessons to my son. I’ve tried to teach him how to manage his money and how to start saving. He got a job at 16, and he even asked me one day if he should invest his earnings. “Oh my gosh! YES!” I said, “Start now while you’re young.” We’ve been talking about 401ks, IRAs, and how to budget your money. Ten years ago, I started contributing to a 529 plan for his college. At the time, I was only able to contribute $100 here and there, but it adds up! When I was his age, I relied on financial aid to go to college. But now he has a mom who’s in a different position, and I’m proud of that. It’s only thanks to WANDA, for providing the resources I needed at a time when I needed them the most. It may not feel like much, but my son has $5,000 to fund his college.
Now, I’m focused on starting a nonprofit organization that helps teen moms. Having graduated with my master’s has really inspired me to help others who are in the same situation I was. I wish I could find the woman who told me in high school (at 16 years old and seven months pregnant!) to apply for this scholarship to go to college because I would thank her immensely. I had never seen her before, and I never saw her again, but she truly changed the direction of my life. I want to be that same agent of change for teen moms. I want to be able to help them pursue higher education or go to a trade school, so that they can be financially stable for their children.
To be honest, looking back, it really was difficult and a real sacrifice to save the money I did during my time with WANDA. And there were times where I didn’t have the money and I had to choose between this or that. But the program, goal setting, and the other moms helped me stay on track. If I hadn’t found WANDA, I would have never had the opportunity to learn about investing in myself. Trust me, single moms do not put themselves first. But putting yourself first can have a ripple effect on your family for generations to come.
I have this mantra that I read every day: you can do hard things. Life is hard, especially when you feel alone. Some days, it doesn’t seem like you can do the hard things, but then you think about the people you’re surrounded by — the village — and then you’re reminded that you can do hard things. It may be hard, but you will get through it, and you will grow from it.
I’m just very thankful for WANDA and what they’ve been able to provide to the community.