By Linda Y. Brown
Dr. Maria Guajardo Lucero’s parents were Mexican immigrants who came to this country as peasant farmers and spoke only Spanish. Though their jobs centered on working the land and neither of them had formal education, both of them always had a strong value for higher education.
“Between the two of them,” Guajardo Lucero said, “they never read a book - they didn’t know how.”  Nevertheless, Guajardo Lucero and all five of her siblings graduated from high school and attended college.
Guajardo Lucero attended the prestigious Harvard University.  On her first day of school she was approached by a young Jewish girl whom she had been roommates with the previous summer at prep school. 
“She recognized me and walked up and said, ‘Mariá, what are you doing here?’ I very happily said, ‘I’m a student here.’ She was shocked beyond belief. The look on her face let me know that she did not expect me to be there, and questioned why I would dare be there at her school, at her university. It was a rude awakening. All of a sudden I realized certain people didn’t believe I should be there. It was hard enough for me to believe I should be there …that was the beginning of a journey for me, of having to find my place at Harvard University.”
Guajardo Lucero did find her place at Harvard and graduated with honors with a degree in psychology. She later earned a Masters and PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Denver. She is also a graduate of the Kennedy School of Government Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government. Prior to working for the city of Denver, she spent most of her time in the non-profit sector, working with organizations that support children, doing research, and writing a publication on dropout prevention.
Currently, Guajardo Lucero is the Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office for Education and Children for the City and County of Denver, a program established under former Denver Mayor Wellington E. Webb. Trained and licensed as a child psychologist, Guajardo Lucero understands how children develop and what is needed for them to flourish in life.  For two and a half years, she has relentlessly pursued and created diverse opportunities, partnerships and programs aimed toward preparing and supporting Denver’s children for good citizenship, college preparedness and global competition both through education and cultural affirmation.
“Maria is an incredible education advocate,” said Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, “having worked with education and children from almost every angle: in public schools, at the college level, in the non-profit sector, and in state and local government. We are so fortunate she agreed to bring her wealth of experience and expertise to the Mayor’s Office for Education and Children, where she builds active partnerships with Denver Public Schools and organizations involved in early childhood education, after-school programs and college access,”  
Currently Guajardo Lucero is responsible for six programs, one of them being the Lights On After School (LOAS) program established in 2003 through a partnership with the Denver Public Schools Foundation and Mile High United Way. LOAS provides school-based after school programs which focus on the three A’s: academics, arts and athletics.  According to Guajardo Lucero, studies show that “children are most likely to be the victims or perpetrators of crime during the afternoon hours of 3 to 6 p.m.” The LOAS program was created as one way to protect children from crime and engage them in activities like tutoring, computer training, social activities, clubs, crafts and much more. LOAS is currently in 80 schools operating on a $1.6 million budget for the current school year. Recent studies on the children involved in the program show an increase in school attendance and improved CSAP scores.
The 5 By 5 Program, Guajardo Lucero’s brainchild, was launched in May 2005 with the help of 10 major cultural institutions. The 5 By 5 Program provides a passport to children to experience five cultural venues by the age of five. Institutions like the Colorado Ballet, Denver Art Museum, Department of Parks and Recreation, Ocean Journey Aquarium and others allow entire families, with children under five, free access to their venues. 
In just nine months after the program’s official launch, Guajardo Lucero said, “Thirteen thousand families and children have visited these venues …families and children that live in poverty. It’s making the richness of this city available to families for whom it was not available.”
Even with the great strides her programs have made, Guajardo Lucero realizes that though it is extremely valuable, an academic education is not the only thing a child needs to be successful in life. She believes it is also important that students feel a sense of pride in their cultural heritage. In early 2006, she shared aspects of her experiences and heritage with a group of DPS 5th graders at the Paramount Theater, gathered together to celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

During the program Guajardo Lucero recalled some of the discrimination and humiliation her parents experienced while traveling in the south with their young family. Having stopped at a diner to eat, the sign on the door read: “No Dogs or Mexicans allowed.” She reminded the students that Martin Luther King gave his life fighting against this type of discrimination and for equality and justice for all people.
She also spoke of how she and her siblings’ names were changed when they entered school.  Her Spanish name, Mariá, was changed to Mary.
Having taken back her name years ago, Guajardo Lucero, in the midst of her presentation, asked every student to stand up and do the same.
“On the count of three, I want you all to shout out your name, just the way you love to have it pronounced.” With a thunderous response, students from every racial and ethnic background shouted their name. A few days later she received letters from students from Lowry Elementary thanking her for sharing with them and allowing them to shout out their names. “They remind me why I do what I do. Perhaps today I’m still on the right track,” said Guajardo Lucero.
Nicole Velez, DPS Northeast Area Superintendent, praises the work of Guajardo Lucero, “She creates a bridge between the city and what the city is trying to accomplish by investing in kids and programs today, so they will be productive members of society tomorrow. She is a great Latino role model for our students whom many can relate to because of her similar background. She helps to inspire kids to continue their education. She inspires them to be proud of who they are.”
Recognized as an expert in the field of education and children, Guajardo Lucero is a sought after speaker, receiving numerous awards and recognitions. In October 2005, the Honorable Mark Udall of Colorado recognized her work with a Congressional Record before the House of Representatives in Washington D.C., stating, “Dr. Guajardo Lucero insists that we hold all students to the same high academic standards, regardless of their race or socio-economic status…Rationalizing that we should expect less from those who have less does an unconscionable disservice to our underserved populations.”
Guajardo Lucero also received the 2006 Woman of Vision Award in April for her achievements as an author, mother, community volunteer and leader in the field of public education.
Always working with a full plate, Guajardo Lucero forces herself to make time for herself and her family. For the past few years she’s been learning the violin with her son, who is a third grader in DPS. Although she claims she’s not very good at playing the violin, she loves it and practices as often as she can, finding it very humbling to tackle new pieces of music. An avid reader since childhood, she appreciates a good book. “If I were given $10 and set off to do something with my $10, I would probably spend $2 on a good cup of coffee, and $8 on a good book in the bargain rack.” 
When asked what the community as a whole can do to pitch in, Guajardo Lucero
answers, “I would love for the Denver community to view children as resources, not as deficits. To view each of them as full of promise and not full of problems. To ask about how can each one of us contribute to a child. Sometimes it means simple acts like learning the names of the children on your block. If you don’t know them, meet them. Be able to call them by name. Smile at a teenager. We have learned to somehow shield ourselves against young people. We’ve learned to make them invisible, not to be noticed, not to be attended to. They are viewed as problems that need to be fixed, as opposed to thinking, ‘Wow, what can this 15-year-old tell me about how to solve the issues at Manual High school? Or, how can this 12-year-old help inform me on how to create a great after school program? Young people will tell you what they think if you stop to listen to them, if we create opportunities for them to weigh in. If I could ask something of our community, it would be to engage a child, engage a young person.”
Guajardo Lucero continually asks herself questions like, “How do I make growing up easier for children? Where can I create the most good? Where can I create the most value?”
Fortunately for Denver, Guajardo Lucero will continue working on behalf of the children in this city, helping them to aspire, dream and create new possibilities.