Create belonging: Meet Latin@’s Luis Aguirre

A note from Stacy Kelsey, Latin@ Global Lead: Happy Latiné Heritage Month! We’re celebrating Latiné Heritage Month with the theme “Raizces - Unearthing our Roots: Celebrando Nossa Origem Latiné.” Our roots help shape our identity and the power of storytelling unites us across borders, languages and generations. As a community, we stand tall and connected by our roots to ensure every voice is valued and every story is cherished. 

This month, you’ll meet members of our Latin@ Pinclusion Group and learn about their raices, or “roots,” in the Create Belonging series. First up, meet Luis Aguirre! 

Welcome! Thanks for joining us. Let’s start with a quick introduction. 

Hola! I’m Luis Aguirre and I am a first generation Mexican based in Oakland, CA. I am part of the Sales Programs team under Sales Enablement. I have been at Pinterest for three and a half years and in the Advertising Technology space for almost nine years. My experience is in building and optimizing processes, and I enjoy approaching all my work with empathy and understanding for those who are impacted by those processes. One of my favorite things about working at Pinterest is that it allows me to have a stable work-life balance, so I can prioritize spending time with the people I love. 

How did you get involved in Latin@? 

I knew as soon as I applied and interviewed for my role at Pinterest that I wanted to be involved in this community because it’s a great space to connect with fellow Latiné folks and does a great job of spotlighting Latiné talent. When I first joined Pinterest, I was able to join a lot of our remote events that helped add moments of fun despite what was happening in the world. I made some amazing friends during my first virtual happy hours where we connected over our Star Wars fandom and its Latiné representation. Those moments inspired me to support the organization of our Latiné Heritage Month celebrations in my first year and later joined the steering committee for Latin@ to continue hosting more community building experiences. It’s been a super rewarding experience for me thus far, and I always look forward to the different opportunities that arise when we come together. 

What does this year’s theme (Raizces) mean to you? 

Raizces means everything to me. It means knowing where you came from. It means knowing where home is. It means knowing who you are as a person. It has meant different things to me at different phases of my life. One thing that has always been grounded and “rooted” in me is that my family and I come from a beautiful culture filled with a rich history and lots of love to go around. I hope that I continue maintaining the spirit of those raizces that are so deeply embedded in who I am. 

How are you celebrating Latiné Heritage Month? 

I am celebrating Latiné Heritage Month by pestering my mom for her recipes (specifically her chilaquiles) so that I can add them to my arsenal. Our food is a huge part of our culture, and I feel duty to continue the tradition for my family and learn as much as I can from her. Hopefully, I’ll be able to pass those recipes down to my daughter so that she will have them in the future. I’m also hoping to catch the “Conoce Tus Raices” night for the Oakland Roots, our local soccer team. My family had a lot of fun attending the game last year :)

What are you currently Pinning? 

I am currently Pinning tattoo ideas more than anything at the moment. The Raizces theme is very on point because I am currently searching for Indigenous Aztec inspired artwork and symbolism which are the roots of my Mexican identity. I’m really hoping I can land on a tattoo design that I like, so I can take that to a local Latiné artist in order to continue supporting our community and reminding myself of where I came from.