At the Philadelphia Zoo’s spring orientation, returning employees were asked to share why they came back for another year; and in a room filled with old friends and new faces alike, Luis, a CIS participant entering his second summer at the zoo, stood and shared the following:

“I came back because I feel I have a place here. As a person with a disability, not everywhere I go am I made to feel welcome, but the zoo has always welcomed me, and I am proud to be back.”

It was a moving moment, and reflective of the supportive, empowering community fostered by Aramark, which runs the zoo’s food and beverage program.

“Luis feels valued by the leadership team at Aramark and by his coworkers,” said Katrina Shuptar, a CIS employee who helps support the many CIS participants now employed at the zoo. “He’s worked in other locations where his disability has been perceived as a challenge rather than an advantage. But at the zoo, he’s been given the support and opportunity that everyone should feel at their workplace.”

We are enormously proud of Luis, and grateful to the partnership and leadership of the Aramark team at the Philadelphia Zoo, led by Lauren Abruzzese and Michael Toussaint, who continue to provide a commitment to helping CIS participants find success in their jobs at the zoo.