Luis Sepulveda worked with me for the first time when I was teaching nutrition education with a group of food pantry volunteers on Manhattan's Lower East Side. Some of the volunteers spoke Spanish as a first language and some spoke very little English, but there were also some who spoke English only and didn't understand Spanish. At the time, Luis was still being trained as a Community Educator, and he was assigned to work with me as a translator for the group. I speak very little Spanish and there was no way that I could have taught the whole group myself and help everyone feel comfortable in the learning environment, so we worked together to teach the class. I would speak a few words, Luis would translate, people would ask questions in their own language of comfort and Luis and I would translate back to the others. It was a long process, creating classes that were at times four or more hours in length including the time that we would cook together and discuss the nutritional value of the meal that we made as we ate it. I got to know Luis through that process and was impressed by not only his ability to translate even technical terminology well and effortlessly, but also the care he took to learn and understand the concepts so that he could share them with the class clearly and easily in ways that they could not only understand but put into practice in their own daily lives. It was during that time that I saw one of the core values that Luis carries with him at all times which has to do with wanting to do his best and to respect the time and needs of others. It's a quality that is rare and that over the years as I have worked with people in different environments I've come to not necessarily expect. But with Luis it's a norm, and it's the way he lives his life.
Since that time we have both moved on to other jobs and worked on other projects, but I kept in touch with him because of the personal integrity that had so impressed me. He's also someone who is fun to talk to, full of knowledge but also inquisitive, always learning and discovering new ideas and information, and he has a wonderful sense of humor. We can talk about very serious topics, as well as those that are just part of the enjoyment of life. He has taken me to see movies like "Wonder Woman" and "Black Panther" that I would not have seen otherwise and I enjoyed them so much that I'd turn to him afterward wide-eyed with gratitude and tell other people about what a wonderful time I'd had. He shares suggestions with me for books and films, TV shows and articles, and he's read my writing and given an honest critique based on his own experience of reading what I have written. When I moved into a new apartment a few years ago, he was one of the people I asked to help me. Another person who had offered without my asking didn't really follow through fully, but when Luis says he will do something he is there and reliably does what needs to be done. It was a great deal of work for him to do, and he asked his brother to help, making sure to put the most time and energy he could into it. I couldn't have done it without him.
In every job that he has had while I've known him he has worked to his fullest capacity, not being satisfied to do the basics only but rather he has always gone above and beyond, putting his utmost energy and time and focus into it. He is also kindhearted, helping people when he can in whatever way he can, politely, respectfully and wholeheartedly. Luis is someone who can be trusted, a friend in times of need, someone to laugh with when times are better, someone to confide in, to share ideas, emotions and vulnerabilities with who will hold them carefully and recognize them as precious. He is trustworthy and reliable, and his personal code of honor is priceless.
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