Lourdes Fasani was born in Marianao, Cuba, and arrived in the United States as a third-grade student following the events of the Cuban Revolution. She was the only non-English speaker in her third-grade classroom in Hinsdale, a suburb of Chicago. After four years of living in the Midwest, her family moved to Southern California, where she continued her education. Lourdes graduated from the University of Southern California and became a bilingual teacher for English learners in the Los Angeles Unified School District. She later worked in various administrative roles in the school district.