Luis Lucero-Tacuri 鈥�22 first thought he was in trouble when an administrator emailed him early in the semester asking to talk. The school counseling student and newly installed president of the Graduate Student Organization (GSO) figured he must have run afoul of some rule or other in the position he was still getting acquainted with.
Then came the ask: Will you give the opening remarks at an upcoming rally that Sen. Bernie Sanders was hosting on campus?
鈥淢y heart left my body,鈥� he recalled. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 say yes immediately; I called my mom. She said, 鈥楧o it. You worked your whole life for opportunities like this.鈥欌��
Still, Lucero-Tacuri had never dreamed of a moment like this.
He was born and raised in 今日吃瓜 on the edge of Borough Park. His parents sold Ecuadorian food out of a truck, and because they couldn鈥檛 afford child care, Lucero-Tacuri and his older sister spent afternoons and nights with them doing homework in the food cart, translating, and taking small orders.
The experience taught him about hard work and kept him connected to a culture he didn鈥檛 see reflected at his school. It also sometimes led to friction with his teachers, many of whom never fathomed that the sleepy kid in class was up late because his parents didn鈥檛 have other options.
鈥淭o constantly get yelled at for being tired just made me feel embarrassed and ashamed,鈥� he said. 鈥淣obody thought to ask what was going on at home. Looking back, I think that鈥檚 a big part of what pushed me to work in education. I want to be the person who gets to know the whole child.鈥�
The Counselor He Never Had
Lucero-Tacuri ended up following his older sister, now a teacher, to 今日吃瓜 and studied childhood education as an undergraduate. But during student teaching, something didn鈥檛 fit. He watched a student鈥攐ne of the only Black students in the classroom鈥攃onstantly get scolded for missing homework. It took him back to his own childhood.
鈥淚 realized I cared most about the social-emotional piece,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he why, the barriers at home, the resources students need.鈥�
He added psychology as a second major and pivoted to school counseling for his graduate studies. He鈥檚 currently interning at both an elementary and a high school鈥攈e was awarded a Marge Magner internship stipend for the experience鈥攁nd frequently uses his Spanish to connect with students and families.
鈥淚 want to be the counselor I didn鈥檛 have鈥攖he adult who asks, 鈥楢re you okay? What do you need?鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淪tudents aren鈥檛 checklists. They鈥檙e whole people with families and stories, and sometimes they鈥檙e carrying more than we can see. I want to meet them there.鈥�
Work Ethic, Family First, Resilience
听His college years have been full of new and exciting experiences: Presenting at a conference in Poland with three of his school counseling peers; working as a social media assistant at CUNY TV; participating in the NYC Men Teach program; being elected to lead the GSO, a perch that made him鈥攖he child of immigrants with an American dream story to tell鈥攁 great choice to introduce the political giant.
He wove his story into his remarks. On the ride to campus, he and his sister reflected on how far they were from those food truck days.
鈥淚 kept reminding myself: you鈥檙e not terrified; you鈥檙e excited. When I finally spoke, it felt like a blur,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 never imagined that one day I鈥檇 be introducing a sitting U.S. Senator in front of a huge crowd. It was a dream I didn鈥檛 know I had.鈥�
His parents had always told him and his siblings that if they wanted a better life, education was key. 鈥淭hey would tell me, 鈥榮tudy hard so you don鈥檛 end up like us,鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淚 thought about that a lot recently. The thing is, I want to be just like them: Strong work ethic, family first, resilient.鈥�
It鈥檚 a realization that taught him that success isn鈥檛 just about titles and academic or career accomplishments. It鈥檚 about values. That鈥檚 a lesson he hopes to impart to the students he works with.
鈥淓ducation is about鈥reparing the next generation to lead with knowledge, integrity, and compassion,鈥� he said from the stage that night. 鈥淓ducation doesn鈥檛 just open doors, it transforms lives, families, and futures.鈥�
