After completing IRC’s financial coaching program, M—a passionate, tenacious young entrepreneur in her early twenties living in Los Angeles—reflected on just how far she had come.

She had recently moved from Guatemala with her family to reunite with her father and escape threats to her life in her home country. She had just been enrolled into IRC’s Case Management Pilot Program (CMPP), an alternative to detention service model for asylum seekers, before the CMPP program received a stop work order and her case was abruptly closed. She recounts:

“We were no longer going to receive any help from any program. But when you wrote me [about IRC-LA’s Economic Empowerment program], it was something really moving for me. Because that very week you wrote to me, we were going through a full-blown crisis with everything that's happening with migration. I told my mom, it was like a light at the end of the tunnel, in the middle of everything that's going on.”
“Que ya no íbamos a tener ninguna ayuda por parte de ningún programa. Pero cuando tú me escribiste todo eso, fue algo así como impresionante para mí. Porque precisamente en esa semana que me escribiste, nosotros estábamos pasando por toda una crisis de lo que está pasando con migración… le digo yo a mi mami, es como que una luz dejó en lo que está pasando.”

At the time, M was feeling overwhelmed. Her grandmother had suffered a devastating fall back in Guatemala, and she felt isolated in a new country, constantly worrying about her aging family back home. Amid this crisis, she received a powerful offer: a well-paying job in Guatemala, along with the opportunity to teach classes on entrepreneurship based on the success of her former business. 

"I told my mom, it was like a light at the end of the tunnel, in the middle of everything that's going on."

For many, it would have been a dream. But for M, returning would mean reentering the same dangerous environment that had forced her to flee—one that threatened her safety, dignity, and life. She said to her mother:

“What am I doing here, so far away? For me, someone who had never worked far from home before… getting up at 3 in the morning to go to work far away… my back can’t take it anymore… but I can’t go back either.”
“¿Qué hago aquí lejos?… Pero para mí, alguien que nunca había trabajado lejos… levantarme a las 3 de la mañana para ir a trabajar lejos… ya mi espalda ya no me da… pero tampoco puedo regresar.”

She missed her family deeply. The pain of separation was constant. But in the middle of that uncertainty, a message of hope arrived.

“It’s your destiny to be here,” her mother told her. “There are people who are helping you… not everyone is as fortunate as you are.”
“Es tu destino estar aquí. Hay personas que te están ayudando… no todas las personas tienen la suerte que vos tenés.”

M began to realize that although her journey would be hard, she wasn’t alone—she had support. She began to feel seen, guided, and empowered:

“It was a big change for me—going from spending everything to learning how to think more. I’m 20 years old. I’m just starting to live through all this. And now I’m learning how to think about my future.”
“Fue un cambio muy grande para mí, del pasar de gastar todo, a cómo pensar más. Tengo 20 años. Estoy empezando a vivir esto. Y ahora estoy aprendiendo cómo pensar en mi futuro.”

M enrolled in IRC-LA’s Economic Empowerment program and, with the help of financial coach Gillian Martin, began achieving goals and building her understanding of the US financial system. She enrolled herself and her family in Medi-Cal. She applied for an AB-60 driver’s license and passed her driving exam, and inspired her younger sister to do the same. She began attending nighttime English classes and shifted from a pattern of impulsive spending to building real savings—over $600 throughout the course of four months.

“It’s your destiny to be here. There are people who are helping you… not everyone is as fortunate as you are.”

That savings became the gateway to her next goal: cosmetology school. She’s now officially enrolled and will begin working once she earns her certification. Her long-term plan? To learn everything she can and eventually open her own business again. One day, she hopes to run multiple ventures, including one back in Guatemala, on her own terms.

Looking even further ahead, M plans to save with her family and move in the coming years, seeking increased safety, opportunity, and a better life for them all. The confidence she’s gained through the program is tangible: she is truly the captain of her own life, spearheading the next chapter for herself and her family.

M stands in front of a mural, admiring the art.

During our time together, M has: Built a realistic, sustainable budget, made tangible leaps towards her goals, learned to avoid predatory scams (including legal and auto-related), taken charge of her family’s wellbeing, and reclaimed her confidence and vision. M didn’t just participate in this program—she chose to rebuild herself. She’s not going back to the life she had. She’s creating the one she deserves.