Her family of five lived off of $28,000 in New York City. She hustled hard to escape generational poverty: ‘Why is life so unfair?’

Viviana (@overgenpoverty) came from a family of five and lived in New York City with parents who earned $28,000 a year. Despite having the odds stacked against her as a woman from a disadvantaged background, she told TikTok that she has successfully escaped generational poverty.

“Life really is unfair, but I hope my story inspires you to keep going,” Viviana shared on social media. Her parents were immigrants from Mexico, and while they are citizens now, she claimed that her mother was undocumented during her childhood. Her father worked at a garage parking cars and now works as a porter. Meanwhile, Viviana said that her mother used to clean houses and babysit children.

“And then, when my sibling was diagnosed with cancer, she took care of them full time,” she claimed. Viviana said her family of five lived on $28,000 a year in New York City, and she was the eldest daughter. As the eldest, she had to translate, help her siblings, and carry other responsibilities. Her parents chose to settle in the United States to escape poverty and violence, so they had always encouraged her to study hard. Viviana followed her parents’ advice and went to good public schools in Manhattan.

Poverty became a chip on her shoulder

“So, I was exposed to a lot of middle-class and upper-middle-class kids. But I remember crying often because I wanted things that we couldn’t afford, like books from the Scholastic News Fair,” Viviana said. Every time she cried about not having enough, Viviana said her mother comforted her by telling her not to worry, because one day she would be able to buy so much more.

She continued, “But I didn’t understand back then. I was so angry because I missed out on so many opportunities because we didn’t have money for them.” Viviana said she missed out on prom, SAT tutoring, and extracurriculars during college. However, Viviana said that although they lived in poverty, she was hardheaded. If she wanted something, she would figure out how to get it. Another student even found a way to study at NYU despite the odds stacked against her. Similarly, Viviana studied hard, applied for Federal Student Aid, and navigated college applications on her own.

“We got an eviction notice. My sibling was still battling cancer, and we were just overall struggling,” Viviana recalled. Because of her hard work, she got into a few private schools. Despite being proud of herself, she didn’t know how expensive college was. Even after financial aid and student loans came in, Viviana said her family still couldn’t afford it.

She kept fighting for her dreams

“Why is life so unfair?’ I worked so hard to get here, for what?” Viviana said. However, she didn’t let the poverty hold her down. Instead, Viviana did a free program at The City College of New York (CCNY), a public university. She emailed the dean and asked to enroll, even though she would be applying late.

“And honestly, I owe him so much, because he did respond, and I was probably able to go to college because of him,” Viviana said. She applied to three public colleges and got into all three. Better yet, her financial aid also covered the cost of it. She studied computer science for a year at CCNY, then transferred to Baruch College after discovering her interest in finance and economics. Viviana said she became a working student and supported her family while in school.

Before graduating, she told the law school counselor at Baruch College that she wanted to become an immigration attorney. However, Viviana alleged that the woman laughed at her and commented, “With what money?” Regardless, Viviana graduated in 2018 and became a teacher through the Teaching Fellows program.

Her career took off

“I became the first person in my family to have a salaried job. My salary was $57,000, and I thought I was rich, because my dad had only ever made $28,000,” Viviana said. Despite everything she had gone through, her career began to take off. However, she still had debts, helped her parents, and paid for graduate school.

Eventually, she got a second job at the Legal Aid Society for roughly the same amount as her first job. She was working two jobs but found it worthwhile because she thought it would help her get into law school. However, Viviana realized the legal field wasn’t for her and pivoted to tech. She said the youngest Black woman to own a fintech banking app gave her a chance and hired her.

“She gave me a contract role for $57,000, but I had to move to Atlanta,” Viviana said. Despite the big move and not knowing anybody in Atlanta, she and her boyfriend decided to take the risk. She was already debt-free and wanted to learn more about investing and financial literacy.

Eventually, she met two Latina friends on social media who openly talked with her about money. “They encouraged me to advocate for myself, to ask for more, and to apply to other jobs, because they themselves were making six figures,” Viviana said. She hustled hard at her fintech job in Atlanta, working seven days a week.

Viviana was burning out, and her boyfriend wasn’t having any luck finding a job. So, they decided to move back to New York City and apply for jobs, and in the same week, Viviana said she landed her first six-figure job offer. She worked hard to get promoted, but after two years, they passed her over. Regardless, she already had savings and maxed out her Roth IRA.

Escaping generational poverty

When she left, Viviana got a higher-paying offer. Similarly, her husband started making nearly as much as she did. They were engaged for four years and started saving for their wedding. While weddings can bring the weird out of some guests, Viviana and her now-husband had no issue with theirs. She shared that they even bought some of their guests’ flights and had their destination wedding in Mexico without a hitch.

“I’m happier than I’ve ever been, I’m richer than I ever thought I would ever be, and I still cry today, because I still can’t believe this is my life,” Viviana tearfully said. She encouraged others to share their story of escaping generational poverty and hopes to help others do the same.

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