Meet Luis Cabrales-Vasquez, pronouns They/He. Luis holds a master’s degree in social work and celebrates over six years working at Year Up United. Today, they are the Associate Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB), bringing connection, a lot of laughs, and even more kindness to the Year Up United workplace.
Thanks so much for joining us, Luis! Let’s set the scene. Can you share a little bit about what you were like as a kid so we can get to know you better?
Luis: I have always loved talking to people. When I was three, I was on a plane ride to visit Mexico with my dad and two siblings. I volunteered as tribute to sit next to a stranger on the plane and we talked the whole flight! I’ve always had a passion for connecting with people — whether through an activity like dancing or a meaningful conversation. It’s part of what inspired “Cafecito Talks,” or the conversations we would have with Year Up United students in Chicago on DEIB topics, as a way for people from different walks of life to find connection. Cafecito Talks stem from the cross-generational conversations that typically happen in a Mexican household over coffee.
That’s amazing! Did you know from a young age that you would want to do non-profit work?
Luis: Well, my dream job was to be a pop star. In my head I always imagined I was Britney Spears on a big stage with my little microphone. But in real life, I started working at 10 years old, bagging groceries and sweeping hair at the salon. We were a mixed citizenship household, so it was all hands-on deck to make ends meet. My first experience with non-profit work started when I was 15 years old. My high school teacher and adopted mom, Yolanda, took me under her wing and together we started a non-profit that focused on reducing the education gap between the local elementary and high school. Grassroots organizing is embedded in my cultural fabric. There wasn’t originally a high school near where I lived — in fact, the reason one was eventually built was because Latina mothers protested having to send their kids outside of the neighborhood. When I saw my peers dropping out of high school, starting that non-profit was my way of helping to keep the Latina mothers’ dream alive of providing us with an education in our neighborhood. That was my intro to non-profit work, and I haven’t looked back since!
Wow, you had an early start to mission-led work! Can you tell me what led you to Year Up United’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Team?
Luis: I started at Year Up United working with our amazing donor community and spent my first week attending classes as if I were a student. From Business Essentials to Helpdesk classes, I really focused on getting to know the student learning and development experience. This set me up perfectly when I had the opportunity to join the Program Team a few years later and worked directly with our young adults. Being in community with our students was something I absolutely loved — it felt like giving a performance! I would constantly ask myself, “how can we bring humanity into this space without sacrificing hitting our milestones?” Working with the team that gets to be part of what our young adults do every day gave me the chance to touch so many parts of the organization – and to really understand the impact of the work we do.
As far as what led me to the DEIB Team, I remember we were all together for a staff retreat and I had the honor of participating in our LGBTQIA+ panel. Before I knew it, I was up on that stage giving a speech in my heels in front of a thousand people including Gerald, our Founder. What I felt on that day was so much joy. That was the first time I dressed more authentically in the workplace, and the support I felt was overwhelming. Having that platform to celebrate the amazing queer talent within Year Up United was something I will always remember. More colleagues began to be openly queer at work due to the panelists’ authenticity on that stage – representation really does matter! After that moment, I realized that creating a culture of belonging in the workplace was something I wanted to continue to do for this organization. I want to make this place more inclusive of all the intersecting identities that our staff and students hold.
We are so inspired by you, Luis! Can you share what belonging has felt like to you in your career at Year Up United?
Luis: Belonging to me has been the fact that I can show up to work and be a part of the solution that enhances the impact of our organization. As a first-generation, queer, non-binary Latine at the organization, can I say 100 percent that this space allowed for me to exist at my fullest when I started six years ago? Honestly, no. However, Year Up United has supported in creating the conditions for belonging that allow for the collective ‘we’ to expand in a way that supports everyone. For example, our team recently worked with the Program Team on our Staff Dress Expectations that goes beyond gender binary categories – a huge step towards creating space for everyone to show up as their authentic selves. Anytime I present an opportunity for change to the organization, I’m met with the psychological safety to always show up in a way that allows me to foster belonging for myself and others.
Well said! What does community mean to you?
Luis: As long as there is another heartbeat in the room, there is community. It’s an interconnection of people that gather together to support one another and the earth. Food is a wonderful way that I like to support others – and food and community go hand-in-hand. When I was younger, my mom and I would make traditional Mexican dishes to give to the Latine men waiting for work at the Tenochtitlan Plaza. Showing support and care in that way is something I still do to this day.
How does your work contribute to closing the Opportunity Divide?
Luis: At Year Up United, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are in service of Belonging. On the DEIB team, our work in fostering a culture of belonging not only combats white supremacy culture norms in the workplace, but also builds bridges across different communities. As a result, we broaden the collective ‘we’ and increase a sense of belonging for our staff.
Can you share some milestones you’re particularly proud of?
Luis: I lost a lot of people in my life when I was young. I knew the one thing I really wanted when I grew up was to have a family — and by 25 years old, I did just that. I have created a beautiful chosen family and have a home filled with plants. I’m also proud of working at Year Up United. When my parents came to the US, they were campesinos (field workers) who picked fruit and vegetables in the fields to make ends meet. When they came to the Chicago, they became outdoor custodians at Millenium Park. Growing up, my mom would tell me, “Stay in school because I want you to be a custodian inside a building to get out of the harsh weather conditions.” That was my mom’s dream for me. I now work near Millennium Park supporting greater access to opportunity for mi gente of future leaders. I’m proud of the impact I get to make at work every day, and that I’m able to exceed my parents’ dreams for me.
We’re so proud of you, Luis! What are you looking forward to in the future?
Luis: I’m really looking forward to taking my two-month sabbatical with Year Up United! The Year Up United sabbatical program is an amazing perk we get when we reach six years at the organization, giving us the opportunity to do professional development-related activities. My goal during my time off is to learn lessons from nature and bring them back to the workplace to continue centering our humanity in the way I engage with my colleagues and young adults. In a full circle moment, I’m going to be volunteering at a farm picking fruit and vegetables just like my parents did. They gave up their dreams to pick fruits and vegetables so I could chase after mine. Now I am leveraging the perks of my career to pick fruits and vegetables to bring to food deserts in Chicago. El pueblo unido jamás será vencido - the people united will never be defeated!
If you could tell your younger self anything about your career, what would you say?
Luis: Remain kind. Invest in your kindness and your humanity so you can show up to do the work that it takes to fulfill our mission. My teacher and adoptive mom, Yolanda, would always tell me, “If you go into a space and there’s no kindness, it probably means you’re not being kind. Even if there is no kindness when you arrive, if you bring kindness to that space, the space will then become kind.” She made me the steward of that feeling, and it’s something I carry with me every day.
We are proud of the work that Year Up United staff members like Luis do every day to further our mission of closing the Opportunity Divide. Learn more about working at Year Up United here.