Guadalupe

Even though she didn’t have a lot of money, Guadalupe always believed that her three daughters—Iris, Catalina, and Cynthia—could achieve their dreams. In 1999, when she heard about Opportunity Fund’s IDA Savings program, Guadalupe started to work with her neighbors to bring the program to their neighborhood—the Mayfair in San Jose.  Guadalupe knew exactly what to save for when she enrolled in the program: her daughter’s education at UC-Berkeley. After saving every month for two years, she had $6,000 in savings and matching funds to put towards Cynthia’s tuition. After Cynthia graduated from UC-Berkeley with a degree in mechanical engineering, she opened her own IDA account to save for a masters program at San Jose State University. Iris and Catalina also enrolled in the program and are saving for more education and for their retirement.

Guadelupe remembers how helpful the IDA program staff were when the program started in her neighborhood. “It was hard because people in the neighborhood are not used to saving and sometimes it was really hard for us to save even when it was only $20. But the IDA team was there to help us, encourage us, and work with us. Thank you.”