"GCI is a part of who I am. It aligns with my values and the impact that I still want to make."
For LaLa, Guadalupe Centers has never just been a workplace; it has always been part of her story.
Today, LaLa serves as the Youth Development Coordinator at Guadalupe Centers, Inc. (GCI), a role she stepped into in August 2025. But her connection to the organization began decades earlier. She worked at Plaza de Niños pre-k and spent much of her childhood growing up just across the street from GCI programs. The gym at Sacred Heart became a second home after school — a place where she played sports, built friendships, and stayed until closing time.
“I’ve always been drawn to working with youth,” LaLa shared. “There were great mentors and tutors in my life growing up. I want to give back in return to the youth today.”
One of those mentors was Tony Aguirre, whose guidance left a lasting impression. Those early experiences shaped not only her childhood but the path she would eventually take as a professional and parent.
After spending 13 years working in orthodontics, LaLa felt a quiet pull toward something more personal and meaningful. When longtime friend, Gina, mentioned that the Youth Development Coordinator position would soon be opening, she encouraged LaLa to apply. LaLa hesitated. She questioned whether she was ready to leave the stability of a career she had built over more than a decade. Yet at the same time, she knew she was ready for something different — something aligned with her values and her roots.
During her interview with leadership, the conversation came full circle. They discussed the very programs LaLa had participated in as a child and the same programs her own children experienced. That moment reaffirmed what she had always known: GCI was home.
Another powerful full-circle moment came when LaLa attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for GCI’s Early Childhood Center. Years earlier, she had worked there as a teacher’s assistant. Standing there now as a staff member, watching the expansion of services for families in the community, was deeply meaningful. “I love that I can impact youth, given the full-circle moment,” she said. “GCI is a part of who I am. It aligns with my values and the impact that I still want to make.”
Since joining the team, LaLa has embraced the role with energy and purpose. She immediately immersed herself in programs and events, building relationships and expanding outreach efforts. She currently leads a life-skills program at the middle school level and is looking ahead to elevating the sports department — an area especially close to her heart as a former high school softball player.
Leadership has recognized her outgoing personality and natural ability to connect with others, often providing her with networking opportunities to represent the organization in the community. Proud of the work being done, she frequently highlights GCI’s impact and youth programming on her LinkedIn, ensuring that more people see the transformative work happening every day.
To LaLa, being part of Guadalupe Centers means honoring what was given to her and to her children, while helping the organization continue to grow and evolve. Her goal is clear: to ensure that youth feel engaged, welcomed, and excited to return. She wants programs to be places where young people feel seen, supported, and inspired to grow.
Outside of work, LaLa’s giving spirit continues. She loves arts and crafts and is famously known within her family as the “tía” who handles decorations at every celebration. For her, creativity is another way of expressing care. “That’s my love language,” she said with a smile. “I love to give back that way — to say, ‘That’s your gift, guys!’”
Whether through sports, life-skills programming, mentorship, or even party decorations, LaLa’s heart for service remains constant. What began as a childhood across the street from Guadalupe Centers has come full circle into a career dedicated to ensuring today’s youth have the same sense of belonging and opportunity that once shaped her own life.