Employee Spotlight: Diana Vasquez Longoria Turns Lived Experience into Community Impact

On any given day, Save Our Community Outreach Specialist Diana Vasquez Longoria is working with youth and families impacted by gun violence. In her role, she serves young people and families across East Toledo and the North End who are seeking help with housing, employment, safety, and basic needs.

Her work carries a clear sense of purpose and meaning. Vasquez Longoria focuses on removing risk factors for violence and building protective environments.

"I worked at TPS for about 13 years before I took my position as an outreach specialist," Vasquez Longoria said. "While I was there, I lost a number of my former kids, and it just broke my heart. To see their potential and know their lives were cut short, I wanted to do more."

That desire to do more shaped her path to S.O.C., but her connection to youth work started long before that. At 15, she joined a community program at Ravine Park and quickly saw the impact of showing up for others.

"I loved it," she said. "I saw the impact I could make and just really loved being around kids. I wanted to be a good example and help people."

Her journey was not without hardship. Vasquez Longoria became a mother at 17 while still in high school. She remembers the doubt others placed on her future, but she also remembers the support that carried her through.

"I remind my participants: you are not what people tell you that you are," she said. "You are what you want to be if you put in the work."

Vasquez Longoria credits her father for being a constant source of strength. He worked overnight shifts and still made sure she could finish school by helping care for her son.

"One of the last things my dad told me before he passed was, 'Try to leave this world better than you found it, mija,'" Vasquez Longoria said. "I feel I honor him by serving others."

"My biggest thing is helping them in any way possible to succeed," she said. "Sometimes I never know what I'm going to do, because we never know what might come up."

Trust is essential to that process.

"We are the first call from our participants because they trust us," she said. "We don't judge. We want to set them up for success. We become their people."

That support can range from job placement to emergency housing assistance. In one case, after a family's home was struck by gunfire, S.O.C. placed them in a hotel for a few days so they could regain a sense of safety.

"The young kids were so happy because the hotel had a pool," she said. "Some might think that's not a big deal, but it was. They got to be kids again."

The experience resonated deeply with her own life. "My house was hit by gunfire when I was in seventh grade," she said. "I don't want any kid to ever feel scared or unsafe."

Across the neighborhoods she serves, Vasquez Longoria sees two consistent needs: stable housing and reliable employment.

"People want to feel proud and know they can take care of themselves and their loved ones," she said. "Not every family has someone they can call on. We want to be those people for our participants."

For her, success is often measured in small but powerful moments.

One participant who once struggled with self-doubt earned his GED and invited her and a colleague to his graduation. During his speech, he spoke directly about their impact.

"He said we believed in him and never gave up on him," she said. "I cried so hard. He did the work. We just kept telling him he could."

Today, that participant is working, continuing his education, and building a future he once thought was out of reach.

"He actually smiles now," she said. "You can feel the pride and confidence he has in himself."

For Vasquez Longoria, moments like that reflect the heart of the work. Trust is not immediate, especially for people who have experienced trauma, but it can grow over time through consistency and care.

"Most of our participants have been in fight or flight mode," she said. "When they start to trust you and open up, that is a big deal."

It is also what makes the work meaningful.

"It makes me feel honored to see the changes they have made," she said. "Everyone deserves a chance to be happy and to thrive."

Vasquez Longoria's ties to East Toledo run deep. She is a graduate of Waite High School, as is her son, and much of her family still lives on the East Side.

"The East Side is a tight community," she said. "It has so much potential."

Through S.O.C., she works to support that potential and strengthen it.

"We want people to feel safe and not forgotten," she said. "We are here to help any young person and their family that has been affected by gun violence, in any way we can."

At the center of it all is a simple belief that guides her work and honors her father's words.

"Everyone needs someone," she said. "If we want to make a change in this world, we need to be that person for others."

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