LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Jennifer Luevano was nominated by a colleague, Erin Van Liew.

Ms. Luevano has one of the most difficult jobs on her campus: teaching K-5 reading, writing, and math to students with disabilities and developmental delays. If this wasn't enough, she also helps run social clubs and after school sports. She is a mentor for kids who need behavior support, and provides special social support for students struggling to make adult and peer connections on campus. Ms. Luevano is almost always the first one on campus, and with all her duties and after school activities, she is often one of the last to leave.

She has been known to spend time on a Saturday helping kids, working on special projects for students, and completing Individual Education Plans (IEPs) so that her duties don't take away from teaching time in her classroom. She rarely gets a break for lunch, and even during her prep period, her classroom is full of smiling students who came to get help from her.

When Ms. Luevano and her nominator first met, her husband had spent the last few years battling leukemia, and was looking forward to an upcoming surgery where he would receive a potentially life saving bone marrow transplant. Leading up to the surgery, Ms. Luevano had planned appointments and hospital visits, attended her husband's testings and therapies, and never missed a moment of class time with her students.

When they arrived at the hospital for the last test prior to surgery, Ms. Luevano and her husband received the worst possible news. She and her husband were told that he was not strong enough for the surgery, and that he would not be getting the transplant. He was given the prognosis that he would have only a few months left, and they should spend the time they have enjoying life together. Soon after, they went to Hawaii for a full week.  Less than two months later, on Christmas Eve, her husband passed away while holding her hand, surrounded by family and friends.

Ms. Luevano took a few weeks off to adjust to her new life, and two weeks later, she returned to school and work. She smiled and held it together for her students. The community stood beside her, and she was strong with them, even though her heart was broken. She never missed an IEP meeting, never let a student go without their services, and kept helping the sports teams and social clubs.

Ms. Luevano's dedication and commitment will always be one of the most amazing things about her, as well as the way she cares for her students. She wells up with tears when talking about the progress of her students. Ms. Luevano went the extra mile to reach out to a former student who was in need of some TLC. She supported a teacher to help them better understand a student's disability. She's been there to support parents when they were informed that their child may learn differently than those around them in the classroom.

"Jennifer taught me one of my most valuable life lessons. When she was back from Christmas Break, after she lost her husband, I came by her classroom to see how her first days back were going," Van Liew said. "She smiled, even though I could tell she didn't feel like smiling. She asked me how I was doing, even though she didn't feel like hearing about it." 

"She chatted with me and let me know things were going ok, even thought she didn't really feel like things were ok. Then she told me, 'I've been thinking about what I am supposed to do with what happened to me, and I think I figured it out. You know the fancy candle you buy in the expensive candle store for a special occasion?' I said 'Yes, I have one in my closet.' She said, 'I am supposed to tell you to burn that candle. Don't wait for company to come over or a holiday, just go home and get it out and burn the candle. Wear the fancy shirt that you haven't even taken the tags off of. Use the nice china for dinner, for no reason at all. Go on the trip with your best friend, even though you have work piled up. If we don't live these things now, you may not get the chance. Just burn the fancy candle, and enjoy it now.'"

Ms. Luevano changes the lives of everyone she touches, from students to friends. She makes their lives better, encourages them, and reaches out to them, even when she didn't realize it.