SAN ANTONIO — Cathy Lucio is usually the first person to arrive to work and one of the last to leave. 

“I really love what I do. We are all here for one purpose and that’s the students,” Lucio said. “I thank God for the gifts he gave me to be able to service the students.” 

Lucio has been Sarah King Elementary’s data clerk since 2017 — and she's been serving San Antonio ISD students since 1997. 

She started as a volunteer before becoming a teacher's assistant, and later a librarian assistant at the neighboring campus, Storm Elementary. 

“I guess it was the children, all of the housing, and being that I came out of that when I was young,” said Lucio. “I felt I could relate to that kind of community.” 

She grew up in the same barrio as the students, clearing the same obstacles they did on San Antonio’s West Side, where 98% of children at her campus are economically disadvantaged. 

“It helps me know how to communicate with them, how to be there for them because I’ve been through it,” Lucio said. 

Although not a teacher, Lucio does everything she can to support the teachers in the school. 

“She’s working in the office, right? And so she’s not in the teacher role; however, she’s so much still a teacher here,” Roseann Renteria said. “All the kids know who Ms. Lucio is.” 

Renteria teaches first grade and says she feels Lucio’s love and support every day. 

“This school would not function without Ms. Lucio,” Renteria said. 

Lucio proudly wears many hats, making sure students show up to school and families receive the help they need. 

“I’m all about bringing the community here to Sarah King. If we don’t have the enrollment, we lose very good teachers and they are very hard to come by,” Lucio said. 

That motivation is why she hustles all day. 

“Aqui (here), you are going on the go, running all of the time,” Lucio said. 

Everyone in the campus knows they can lean on Lucio. 

“I love her. She’s not just a friend, she’s someone in school that truly is the face of this campus,” Renteria said. 

Lucio is an educational vessel for the barrio she’s called home her whole life. 

“The pay for me is when I see people like you come back and say ‘remember me,’” Lucio said. “That’s what pays for what we go through.”