Hidden Gems: Meet Norayma Cabot of A Place Called Home

Today we’d like to introduce you to Norayma Cabot.

Hi Norayma, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I didn’t grow up imagining I’d be a CEO one day. In fact, I didn’t grow up seeing women, especially Latinas, leading organizations at all. I am the daughter of immigrants and I was raised in a working class family in Southeast Los Angeles. I was the first in my family to go to college, and I became a teen mom at 18. My early life was shaped by love, resilience, and strong cultural roots, but also by limited access and opportunity, something I didn’t fully understand until much later. At the time, I just knew I had to keep moving forward for myself and my daughter.

College ended up being a real turning point for me. It opened my eyes to systems, inequities, and the power of community-based organizations to change life trajectories. I began my career working directly with young people and families, drawn to spaces where healing, education, and opportunity intersect. Over time, I moved into leadership, not because I set out to climb a ladder, but because I kept saying yes to responsibility, accountability, and the hard work of building things better than I found them. Along the way, I learned to find my voice, trust my instincts, and lead with both courage and empathy.

Today, I serve as the CEO of A Place Called Home, an organization that has meant so much to South Central Los Angeles for over three decades. Leading APCH is deeply personal. It is the kind of place I wish I had growing up. My journey has taught me, sometimes the hard way, that leadership is not about titles. It is about showing up with integrity, making tough decisions with heart, and creating pathways so others do not have to fight as had just to be seen. Everything I do now is rooted in that belief, that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not, and it is our responsibility to change that.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not at all! It has been anything but smooth.

I have faced obstacles at almost every stage, from becoming a mother as a teenager, to navigating college and professional spaces where I did not see people who looked like me or shared my background. Along the way, I also went through a very difficult divorce while continuing to raise my children and lead at work. That period tested me in ways I was not prepared for, emotionally, financially, and personally, and forced me to find strength and clarity when I felt stretched thin.

Professionally, one of the biggest struggles was learning how to lead in systems that were not designed for women of color. I had to learn how to speak up in rooms where my voice was questioned, how to make tough decisions that not everyone agreed with, and how to hold firm to my values even when it would have been easier to stay quiet or play it safe. Growth often came with discomfort, and some lessons only came after mistakes.

There were also moments of real burnout and uncertainty. Nonprofit leadership requires carrying the weight of people’s needs, limited resources, and high expectations all at once. What kept me going was a deep sense of responsibility to the young people and families we serve, and a belief that doing the hard things with courage and heart matters. The road has been challenging, but every struggle shaped how I lead today, with empathy, integrity, and courage.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
A Place Called Home is often described as an afterschool program, but that description barely scratches the surface of who we are and what we do. We are a youth centered organization rooted in South Central Los Angeles that has spent more than thirty years creating safety, belonging, and real pathways to opportunity for young people navigating trauma, economic instability, and systems that were never built with them in mind.

We serve children, youth, and families through a full continuum of support that includes academic enrichment, arts and creative expression, athletics, mental health services, college and career preparation, and family support. Our approach is long term and relationship based. Many of the young people who walk through our doors stay connected for years, growing with us from childhood into young adulthood as we support them through critical milestones like high school graduation, college persistence, and entry into careers.

What truly sets A Place Called Home apart are the outcomes our young people are achieving. Our scholars are graduating from college at rates significantly higher than national averages for first generation, low income students of color. They are persisting, finding their path, and building lives rooted in purpose and stability. These outcomes are the result of consistency, high expectations, and a deep belief in what young people are capable of when they are fully supported.

We are also known for leading with heart and accountability. Our culture is grounded in values like honesty, empathy, respect, and transparency, and that shows up in how we treat our young people, families, and staff. Healing and excellence exist side by side here.

I am most proud that A Place Called Home is trusted. Families trust us with their children, young people trust us with their stories. Partners and funders trust us to deliver results with integrity. This organization belongs to the community, not just in name, but in practice. I want readers to know that when young people are given consistency, care, and opportunity, they do not just succeed individually. They strengthen families, communities, and futures. That is what A Place Called Home stands for.

To learn more you can visit apch.org and see the impact we are having on the lives of the young people we serve.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
One piece of advice that really stuck with me came from an opportunity I had to hear Chris Voss speak. He said something simple but powerful. Never take advice from someone who has not been where you are going or from someone you wold not trade places with.

That idea changed how I think about mentorship and networking. It helped me become much more intentional about who I seek guidance from and whose opinions I let carry weight. Not every voice needs equal influence in your life, especially when you are building something meaningful or stepping into leadership.

What has worked well for me is looking for mentors who have real experience, who have navigated complexity, made hard decisions, have failed, persisted, and stayed grounded in their values. I also pay attention to how people lead, not just what they say. I ask myself whether their life, their leadership, and their impact align with what I am trying to build.

Networking, in that sense, becomes less about expanding a circle and more about deepening the right relationships. It is about learning from people you respect, being open to challenge, and surrounding yourself with voices that help you grow forward with clarity and integrity.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://apch.org
• Instagram: @apch2830
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APCH2830/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-place-called-home/about/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeFDfT-SDpY