“I didn’t know nothing when I started. But I worked hard and learned,” Luis says. He began as a laborer, building the foundations for medians and side walls along highway entrances and exits. In the process, he also built the foundation for a meaningful career.

After a few years, his dedication and ability earned him a series of promotions. First, to finisher, a job that required him to make sure the walls were level and looked good. Then he rose to lead man, in charge of the crew when the superintendent is away. Today, he’s a superintendent himself, motivating and directing a group of workers whose ranks he rose from not long ago.

“I still get down and dirty sometimes,” Luis says. “You’ve got to be able to do a job before you can tell someone else to do it. And you’ve got to have common sense, ’cause a blueprint doesn’t tell you everything.

“My father said something once that really stuck with me. He said if you want to make money, you have to learn and keep learning. So I do.

“Sometimes when I’m riding with my family, we pass a wall I worked on. I hold my head up and say, ‘I built that.’

“I love my job, and I love the fact that what I do can save lives. I’d recommend it to anybody.”