Today we’d like to introduce you to Luc Saint-Genies.
Hi Luc, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am a proud first-generation American and Floridian. I was born in Blackpool in the Northwest of the United Kingdom in 2002, where both of my parents worked for BAE Aerospace, managing and contributing to the Joint strike fighter, F-35 program (X-35 project at the time). In my toddler years, my family and I moved to Paris, France, where I attended elementary school and participated in youth leadership councils. Over ten years ago, we moved to Broward County, where I attended Tequesta Trace Middle School in Weston, and then the North Broward Preparatory School in Parkland. I moved to Washington DC in 2020, where I attended the George Washington University, studying International Affairs and Space Policy, whilst being enrolled in Air Force ROTC, serving as the Honor Guard Commander.
Like most, during my High School years, I overcame significant challenges. Beginning in 9th-grade year, following unexpected deaths in my family and the loss of a parental figure, my Grandmother, I experienced a period of mental health challenges and depression. Thanks to an extensive support system, I overcame this. Understanding the importance mental health plays in every person’s development, I am committed to advocating for systemic youth mental health reform and providing support to youth who need it most. During my 11th grade year, I advocated for Florida youth mental health reform in the Florida Legislature and with the Florida Governor.
Halfway through my tenth-grade year, my community experienced one of the most tragic School Shootings in modern American history at the neighboring Stoneman Douglas High School. A day after the atrocities at Stoneman Douglas, my school went into lockdown for over two and a half hours, based on a false alarm initiating the procedure and a responding police officer accidentally discharging his firearm. I remember the pure feeling of fear rushing through my body, my friends and I texting our parents and loved ones, thinking that this could be the last words we shared. Most saliently, I remember staring into my best friend Milo’s eyes, where he sat with me behind a sofa, with a gaze of pure fear and with the honest expectation of losing our lives in the very room we laughed and learned about history. Thankfully, no one at my school lost their lives, but the experience haunts me and many others to this day. Having lost individuals from such a close-knit community to such a preventable atrocity, my friends and I could not sit idly by. Along with other peers and students, I supported the foundation of the March for Our Lives organization and advocated the county and state legislatures for firearm and mental health reforms to ensure that such tragedy would not happen again.
During my High School years, I also worked numerous jobs to support my family. Starting in September 2018, the month I turned 16, I was offered a job working for the Florida G.O.P on the staff of the Ron DeSantis gubernatorial campaign. The same month, I began working at Starbucks as a barista. In April of the same year, I worked as an Intern for the Broward County Board of Commissioners at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood international airport, where I received commendations for the effective and innovative support in the management of a large-scale capital improvement project. In early 2020, I traveled to Tallahassee, where I was offered an internship in the Florida State Senate. There, I stood out for my work ethic and passion for public service. Most importantly to my career so far, I worked for Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick starting in the first month of her first campaign, working first as an Intern, and then as an Outreach Coordinator and Foreign Policy advisor for a dynamic, progressive Democratic Congressional Campaign. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick was sworn into office in January 2022, and I stay in touch to this day with the congresswoman and her staff and was honored to advise her staff on her transition to the Hill. I was honored to work daily with former White House National Security Advisor General Keith Kellogg and former Secretary of Homeland Security, Chad Wolf. I continue to contribute to the Institute, supporting Government Affairs part-time. I currently work for the NASA Administrator’s office, where I provide services critical to agency-wide decision making, operations, and executive correspondence. I truly love the work that I do, where I have the opportunity to serve the community, state, and country that has given and continues to give me so much in return.
In January 2021, I was taken to the ER, and then admitted to the hospital for severe pain, and was diagnosed with Sepsis. A few months later in October, I was later admitted once again. Unable to afford continued treatment whilst attending university full-time, I decided to take time off school to search for employment that offered the necessary healthcare benefits and income, which would allow me to seek the treatments I needed. I had no expectation of serving where I do now when I initially began my job search, but I was lucky enough to be offered an opportunity to work at NASA Headquarters for the Office of the NASA Administrator, where I currently serve as an Executive Assistant. To my knowledge, I am currently the youngest Staffer at NASA Headquarters, at 19, and one of the only members to have yet to finish my degree.
Overall, my life so far has been full of obstacles, “No’s”, and “you can’t do that at that age”. I am committed to breaking down the barriers in front of me and sharing my experiences with those who may find hope in my story. Anyone can be whatever they want to be, so keep pushing! If you take the path everyone else takes, you will end up just like everyone else. To stand out, you can take whatever road you think is best for you. It does not have to be the same as others. Just because you took seven years to finish college, it doesn’t mean you’ll be less successful. Your experiences define you, and I am thankful for all of mine, no matter how challenging.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I currently work as an Executive Assistant in the Office of the NASA Administrator, Executive Operations, NASA Headquarters, Washington DC. I support NASA senior leadership with correspondence, operations, and daily activities.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I have been incredibly lucky when it comes to meeting people. I strongly believe that the relationships and friendships you build along the road of life define who you are. The manner one interacts, respects, cares, and leads others is rare. I am lucky enough to be surrounded by individuals who represent all of those character traits, and I am incredibly lucky for that. I am lucky to have parents who care and love me for who I am. I am lucky to have met friends who support me, no matter what. I am lucky to have met my Fiancée, Gabby when I did. Someone who supports me for who I am. Someone who cares and loves me. I am lucky, and luck played a big role in my life so far.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/lucsaintgenies
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucsaintgenies
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/lucrsaintgenies
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