Alfonso recently came to the daunting realization that the true magic in life—those moments of divinity and pure goodness—exist only in retrospect. It is difficult to grasp them as they happen. But Alfonso tries to slow down and soak in them from time to time. Whether that is by embracing his untidy dogs, Tod and Luna, just a bit longer, or pausing mid-conversation to express his gratitude, or—and perhaps most difficult—allowing himself to “oooh!” and “aaah” in childlike awe of his surroundings.

Outside of these moments, Alfonso’s life (and personality, according to some) is chaotic. He enjoys many hobbies, depending on where his is in the time-space continuum. It could be gardening, it could be painting, it could be annoying his loved ones with deadpan humor or learning a new coding language. It could be breaking and fixing things (not necessarily in that order), or hiking, or daydreaming or reading essays. Whatever it is, his plate is always full. It is perhaps because of his mind’s constant state of disarray that he enjoys working in analytics, organizing messy data, creating compelling dashboards, solving puzzles and understand the world in a fresh new light.

Alfonso was born in Queretaro, Mexico but has now lived most of his life in the U.S. Before joining InterWorks, Alfonso worked in various nonprofits, from helping transform Chicago public schools into world-class education to championing the wellbeing of children across Nebraska though data and research. Throughout his career, Alfonso has been passionate about analyzing the economic and social consequences of racial discrimination and its manifestations in housing, education, income and health. Alfonso received his undergraduate degree in economics from Loyola University in Chicago, where he met his indescribably astounding partner, Rachel, and is currently earning his master’s degree in economics from the University of Nebraska in Omaha, where they both reside and are trying to build a forever home.