By Kimberly Barber, SKC Chief HiSet Examiner
Mataya Oakland, a young Native Salish entrepreneur, rises early each morning, arriving with her coffee trailer in front of Pablo Foods by 6:30 a.m., just in time to serve the steady stream of early morning commuters on their way to work.
Mataya isn’t your typical barista. At just 17 years old, she owns her own business, The Bean Machine. At 15, she made the difficult decision to leave high school only two weeks into her sophomore year. It wasn’t an easy choice. Her entire family had attended that school, but she knew it wasn’t the right fit for her. Seeing how much Mataya struggled, her mother supported her decision to be homeschooled.
SKC HSE graduate and entrepreneur, Mataya Oakland, stands outside her mobile coffee shop.
It turned out to be life changing. Mataya thrived in a homeschool environment and often says she only wishes she had made the switch sooner. That path eventually led her to the HiSET Program at Salish Kootenai College (SKC), which supports community members to complete their high school equivalency (HSE) credentials. Mataya started taking HiSET classes at SKC and completed her testing, becoming one of the youngest students in recent years to earn her HiSET at just 16 years old. She approached the process step by step, taking a few tests at a time, and ultimately succeeded, graduating from the SKC HiSET program surrounded by her proud family and friends.
Like many young graduates, Mataya wasn’t immediately sure what she wanted to do next. She began working for her uncle at his coffee shop, gaining hands-on experience in the business. When he decided to sell, Mataya saw an opportunity and took it. Using her savings from babysitting and odd jobs, she invested in her very own coffee setup and began serving customers, turning her ambition into reality.
At 17, this young lady runs her own successful business, a traveling coffee shop. She not only makes and serves coffee in front of the local grocery store, but also travels around the entire valley, parking and setting up at local events on the reservation to sell her yummy concoctions.
She doesn’t plan to step away anytime soon. With a business that continues to grow and passion to fuel it, this young entrepreneur is determined to savor every moment of the success she’s building and all that lies ahead.
Her advice to young students who are unsure about high school is to consider homeschooling or high school equivalency pathways such as HiSET, if high school isn’t the right fit. Mataya shares, “If I had not done this for myself, I would have been miserable for a long time. Do what is best for you, and hopefully, your parents will be supportive. Do what makes you happy.”
