When Yraes Guerrero first came to Skyline College she was on financial aid, had no saving account and no credit. Now she has a credit score of over 700 and is in the process of paying off the new dining room table she purchased for her home.

To that end, SparkPoint offers a variety of financial tools and programs such as income tax assistance, workshops on money management, and even career counseling.

Guerrero owes much of her financial success to Skyline College’s SparkPoint Center, which has provided over 2000 Skyline students and San Mateo County residents with financial planning since starting in January of 2010.

“The initiative is really about reducing poverty in the Bay Area,” said Raymond Jones, Service Integration Coordinator at SparkPoint Center.

Jones knows that financial success, like many other things, has to start with proper education.

“The greatest travesty as far as I’m concerned is that people are not educated in school about money and how to make money grow,” Jones said.

According to SparkPoint Center Director William Watson, the goal of the SparkPoint Center is to encourage financial stability, but more importantly to provide a service to the local community.

“We recognize that in the community people have different kinds of opportunities,” Watson said. “Some people seem to just have more opportunity than other people and we recognize that as a problem.”

Yraes Guerrero who is now attending San Francisco State University and working at Skyline’s SparkPoint Center knows what it’s like to have financial struggles and is a direct beneficiary of the SparkPoint’s financial coaching.

“Before, I had no savings account, no credit,” Guerrero said. “I went into JC Penny’s and asked for a credit card and they denied me twice. I’ve been there, so I know it feels really good to have that support.” It’s clear that Jones believes in the work they are doing and recognize the collaboration between Skyline College and the SparkPoint center as something truly unique and forward thinking.

“Skyline College is in the forefront, establishing a whole new paradigm of working with students and working with community members in achieving financial stability,” Jones said.

Watson sees the work that he does as imperative to improving the lives of the financially underprivileged in San Mateo County, and a service that he is proud to provide.

“It’s about individuals and their families improving their capacity to do better in life,” Watson said. “This has been the most rewarding professional experience of my entire career.”