Sasha Esquiro first became involved with the Warm Springs Community Action Team (WSCAT) the summer before her senior year of high school. She participated in our summer workforce program as a barista at Painted Pony Espresso.
After starting her senior year, Sasha found out about the IDA program through the tribal homeroom at Madras High School and found the benefits hard to believe. She said it was “something she needed to get her hands on right away.” As a senior in high school, she was hoping to buy a car, so she signed up for the program. She took the financial education class through WSCAT’s partnership at Madras High School.
At the same time, Sasha enrolled in the first cohort of the American Indian Business Leaders (AIBL) club. WSCAT had partnered with Madras High School to teach 20 Native seniors business skills. She learned about writing business plans and was able to attend the Rez Conference in Las Vegas, where she, along with other students, gave a business pitch and earned first place in the High School category for the Business Plan Competition.
In April 2024, she heard about WSCAT’s Grow with Google program and began taking an online course in Digital Marketing and E-Commerce.
She found the courses a breeze, graduated with three certificates, gained financial literacy, and has six times she would have in her bank account after participating in the courses.
After saving for almost a year, Sasha purchased herself a car in July 2024. When asked about the IDA program she said the process was easy to follow and the program staff were very helpful. Additionally, she liked having the autonomy to save her own money and seeing it accumulate in her bank account.
Since buying her car, Sasha has come back in to learn more about the homeownership process. She has talked to counseling staff about finding affordable housing while in college and has begun saving money. She wants to save up and buy a home in the future.
Recently, she has encouraged her brother and mother to enroll in the IDA program. When asked if she was interested in completing another program, she said: “Yes, I would love to,” and she hopes to participate in our home renovation course.