Over 5,000 kids and teens are in the care of the state of Oregon. About nine percent of foster youth in Oregon age out of the system without a permanent family, often facing challenges like homelessness and financial instability.

Nicky Young has been in foster care on and off since age 5. While aging out of the care system, she went through a financial literacy program at Youth Villages —and now uses her financial literacy skills to turn her side hustle into a thriving business, Your Grandma Nicky. OPB “Weekend Edition” host Lillian Karabaic interviewed her.

The following transcript has been edited for clarity and length.

Lillian Karabaic: Tell me a little bit about how this program helped with your transition to independence.

Nicky Young: Yeah. They’ve given me a lot of resources. I actually have a housing grant that they’ve helped me access, gives me free rent for five years, as well as college. They’re able to have grants, have me access these grants for college, so I’m actually able to get college for free.

@yourgrandmanicky

Kidding, this felt more me #1950s #retro #western

♬ original sound - Duke The Dog

Karabaic: You’ve said you’ve experienced being in and out of foster care at all these different stages when it comes to the aging out process, especially for older teens, what do you see as the biggest challenges to adulthood and learning those skills?

Young: I say that you don’t really have a set person usually that you can go to for everything. I don’t have someone that’s able to teach me everything I need. My first apartment, I didn’t know that I had to do a 30-day notice, so I ended up having to pay another month of rent. I just don’t have that normal relationship with someone to teach me those basics. I don’t know. You have tricky relationships with people. You see them as expendable. You don’t always believe that they’re going to be there a hundred percent of the time. You kind of think that they’re here for now.

Karabaic: Tell me about your journey of starting your business. What inspired you to turn your knowledge into a business? What was that like in the beginning?

Young: Yeah, so I’ve been sewing since I was in middle school. I got my first sewing machine for Christmas. It was kind of just more of a thing that my parents thought I would enjoy. It never was something I was extremely interested in as a teenager, but during Covid, I started sewing for myself, and then I had someone I worked with at the time who actually made it a business for herself, but it gave me inspiration that this is capable and achievable for myself.

I randomly started to make stuff for my friend, and then she was like, ‘Oh, wow, this is really cute. You should sell these.’ I put two items on where I sell — my platform — and they sold instantly, and then I was like, ‘Okay, well, they like it.’ And so I made some more and they sold again instantly. And so it’s been a progression of things just like selling, selling, selling.

Karabaic: Is there anything about your business that you’re trying to get better at making items faster or lowering costs or marketing? Is there anything right now that you’re like, ‘oh, I wish I knew more about this?’

Young: Yeah, I’d say kind of having your own thing. People really like to know you and who you are and what your drive is, and so having a certain thing is definitely what I’m trying to make a brand.

Karabaic: Your unique brand?

Young: Yes. Yeah.

Karabaic: Tell me about the name of your business because ‘Your Grandma Nicky,’ that’s branded.

Young: Yeah. I’ve always just felt like an old soul. I love vintage and I love the 1950s and everything, so I’ve always felt like, and so I’ve always felt kind of like a grandma.

Karabaic: There are a lot of challenges for young entrepreneurs, people starting their own business is really hard, especially when you’re younger. Do you think that there’s anything unique about the challenges that people that have experienced in the foster care system when they’re doing entrepreneurship?

Young: Yeah. I don’t have a backbone, so I don’t have anything to fall back on. I don’t have mommy’s money to pick myself back up, so I have to make sure that I have something in the bank, so if this crashes, I can have some time to go get a job. So I think that’s something I don’t have.

Karabaic: So what advice would you give to someone that is aging out of the foster system who might be struggling with understanding their finances and setting up their life independently?

Young: I’d say get a job. I think if you’re really wanting independence, a job and security and a job is the biggest thing. I think I’m a free baller. I don’t have that now, but I did have a job three years ago and I did make a savings account for myself, and so just having a little bit of a thing in the bank is a huge security. I’m still on my journey of becoming financially independent, but I think I’m on a good journey.

Karabaic: Thank you so much for joining me, Nicky.

Young: I appreciate being here.

Nicki Young makes clothes as Your Grandma Nicky. She went through the life skills training program at Youth Villages after aging out of foster care.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/06/01/training-tenacity-and-thrift-help-former-oregon-foster-youth-launch-sewing-business/