Louis A. Lucca

Dr. Louis Anthony Lucca [4 ]was born March 25 and raised in a Greek Catholic home in Brooklyn Heights, New York. Even though his mother was a practicing Catholic she never pressed religion on Lucca or his father. Evidently, his beliefs shift from Greek Catholic to Atheism because he felt that he could not relate to his mother’s faith. His Habib Rasi Lucca was a bookkeeper for Standard and Poor’s and his father was a Merchant Marine during World War II. Growing up an only child, Lucca was forced to grow up fast. From ages six to fifteen he would travel back and forth from New York to Washington D.C to visit family on his own. An independent intellect, he grew a love for language and travel.

Louis Lucca’s high school career set the ball rolling for his career in languages and communication. Attending the French Christian Brothers High School in Brooklyn New York, Lucca was forced to choose a development tract in his freshman year. Relying on his ease of language learning, the language path seemed the most logical choice. His high school education catapults Lucca to major in French and Spanish at Seton Hall University. Three and a half year into his college education, Lucca leaves Seton Hall upon the death of his father where he is then employed by the Wall Street financial firm Standards & Poors. Returning to Seaton Hall intermittently over the coming years, Lucca completes his bachelor’s degree while also working with S&P. As the financial industry is engulfed in a period of layoffs, Lucca takes this opportunity to return to school to earn his master’s degree at New York University (NYU). While earning his master’s, Professor Lucca begins his teaching career at the Borough of Manhattan Community College as a TESOL. In order to continue the development of his career, Professor Lucca leaves BMCC and splits his time between St. John’s University teaching Public Communications and Public Speaking and Queens College teaching at the English Language Institute. Prompted by the inconvenience of commuting to two separate colleges as wells as the instability of an adjunct position, Lucca seeks out a more permanent position. In December 1994 Professor Lucca is hired at LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC) teaching communications with an agreement that he will continue to seek out a doctoral degree, which he pursues and completes at NYU. As part of the LAGCC community, Lucca, in conjunction with Robert Menegro and Brian Goldstein, develops the college’s first web radio station. In 2009 LAGCC sends out a call to its faculty requesting specific majors be created within its two-year associates framework, which Lucca becomes involved in developing the program, and now chairs the communications department. Professor Lucca also arranced access to Alpha Nu, a chapter of the National Communication Association’s honor society Sigma Chi Eta.

One of Dr. Lucca’s early influences was his mother. Lucca’s mother outlived his father by over 30 years, which allowed him to form a stronger bond with his mother. His relationship with his mother is different than most mother and son relationships, as he viewed her like a friend throughout her later years. Lucca’s most profound influence comes from his Joseph Campbell, an American mythologist, writer and lecturer and acclaimed author of The Hero with a Thousand Faces, among others. Lucca proclaims that Campbell is his hero, as he influenced several significant aspects of Lucca’s life, including his career and his religious (or lack thereof) views. According to Dr. Lucca, Joseph Campbell’s works have inspired his methods of teaching as well as Dr. Lucca’s way of life. Aside from Joseph Campbell, former Roman Catholic nun and British author, Karen Armstrong has strongly swayed the religious views of Dr. Lucca. Armstrong’s ideas on how humans have created god in their minds, fuel Dr. Lucca’s outlook on god and religion, and supports his views on atheism. When it comes to politics, Dr. Lucca a strong supporter of the Socialist party. As a proud supporter of Socialist American party, Dr. Lucca admired Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. There are several mantras that Dr. Lucca lives by,“ To be a good person, but let people be clever”, were words spoken by his mother which continue to inspire him till this day. Lucca was also inspired by Elizabeth Edwards was quoted as saying, “You have to first know who you are, and be who you are before you can be a lighthouse for others.”

[1]http://www.springer.com/education+%26+language/higher+education/book/978-90-481-9165-9 [2] http://tcc.kcc.hawaii.edu/previous/TCC%202005/lucca.pdf [3] http://books.google.com/books/about/The_experience_in_learning_communities_o.html?id=t_NuGwAACAAJ