Q&A w/Luis Perez

Presented by Moments Media, TA98’s Digital Storytelling Division

By Araceli Ramirez

Luis Perez is the Director of Education at The Alliance 98 (TA98). A Little Village native, he joined the organization in February 2023 to build its first Department of Education, which supports students preparing for college and careers.

Perez earned a bachelor’s degree in applied Psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2021 and launched his career at Little Village Lawndale High School, first as an intern and later as a college and career coach.

This year, Perez is pursuing a master’s in social work at the Erikson Institute, where he manages a school-based mental health project focused on student well-being. He also introduced Hope Against the Odds, a curriculum at Corkery Elementary that uses storytelling, art, and neuroscience to help students see themselves as heroes.

We sat down with Perez to discuss what it means to build a Department of Education from the ground up and create new pathways for youth success at TA98.

Q: How did you first get involved with TA98, and what has the experience of building the department been like?

A: After I transitioned out of my former role, I met David Rojas Jr. at a conference where we talked about inequities in financial aid and how students in our communities are often picked for verification more than others. He told me about his organization, which focuses on workforce development, and how many of the careers young people want to pursue require education. It sounded like a great opportunity to build a department where students could come to a place in Little Village, their own community, to learn and grow.

At TA98, we do everything from financial aid support and social-emotional guidance to pathway mapping and goal setting. If a student can see the light at the end of the tunnel, they’re more likely to succeed. My job is to guide them through that journey and build a network that helps them get there.

It’s been great meeting people and finding ways to build bridges and support one another. There’s been a lot of collaboration with Fields of Dreams, the Erikson Institute, and Corkery Elementary, and we’ve really connected with educators to support our community as a whole. What fascinates me most is that in my past roles, I usually worked with a specific group of students from one side of the neighborhood. Here, we support the entire Little Village community, as well as students from Pilsen and Brighton Park. It’s inspiring to see everyone come together in one space.

Q: What led you to this work, and what keeps you on this path?

A: The work chose me. I had to do an internship to graduate, and at first, I just saw it as something to get done. During undergrad, I spent most of my time in labs studying biology and chemistry, so entering the social work field felt like a new venture. But once I started working at the high school, I realized how connected I was to the community. My door was always open, my room was always filled, and I could feel the difference I was making.

Even when I tried to move into other roles, my students kept pulling me back. When I joined TA98, that same feeling returned. Now I was supporting the entire community, not just one school, and I got to see the same kind of growth happening here. I didn’t plan to pursue an MSW, but my students inspired me to do so. They’ll say, “Hey, in a couple of years, we’re all going to graduate,” and it pushes me to model what I teach and show that education matters.

Q: What role has TA98 played in your journey?

A: TA98 gave my students a safe space, a place to grow, and figure out where we want to go. I didn’t know I’d be in an MSW program, working with the Erickson Institute, or that we’d be able to put our students to work in schools. I didn’t know they’d get the chance to design their own T-shirts and create things like that. What TA98 really did was give us a space to grow, not just academically but personally. It allowed my students to find their identity, build confidence, and become their authentic selves.

I’ve seen these youth start connecting and building bridges among themselves. Students from the far east side of Little Village are bonding with those from the far west. What I’m witnessing is healing through connection, healing through friendship, and a genuine desire to make their future appealing. There are so many stories, but they come with a lot of triumph, and they’re not mine to tell. They belong to my students.

Q: You’re also involved with the Erickson Institute. How does that work connect to TA98?

A: In multiple ways. It gives students space to work on their own projects outside TA hours and also helps us support parents and educators. The collaboration broadened the kind of support we can offer our community. Instead of just serving youth ages 16 to 24, we now get to support their parents, educators in schools, and nonprofit leaders around the neighborhood.

It made me reflect a lot. My mission with the MSW program is to bridge the gap between neuroscience and community through social work. When my students come in carrying something heavy that’s keeping them from focusing on school, I now have the tools and frameworks to support them in those moments and help them find peace of mind so they can finish that assignment or study for that test.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?

A: Our community is changing, and many of our youth still get painted with a negative narrative, but look at what they’re achieving and the places they’re getting into. So far, we have five Michael Jordan Scholars and a Posse Scholar. It’s incredible to see that when they enter spaces where people expect them to fail, they don’t just succeed, they excel. It’s beautiful to see what our community is capable of.

It’s also powerful when a young person walks in, finds a piece of themselves here, and says, “This is how I want to grow,” and sticks to it. We’re a small organization, and we don’t always have the funds to support our youth as we’d like. But the environment and culture we’ve built still allow them to thrive. If anything, I hope our story shows that when a community invests in its young people, there’s no limit to what they can achieve.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.