By Angely Peña

Lucas Hernández is a Miamian. Although he moved to Texas when he was in middle school, then headed off to college and then New York, “I always considered Miami my home,” said Hernández, the director of Microsoft’s Miami Civic Engagement, and this year’s Principal of the Day at Miami Lakes Educational Center (MLEC).

Each year, the Office of Community Engagement for Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) sponsors the Principal Today Program. It is an opportunity to engage with the private sector, inviting business and community leaders to become partners in providing learning opportunities to students.

“A lot of people sit around tables and talk about what [students] need, but there aren’t any people at those tables that look like you,” said Hernández, “so it has been good to see what you guys are actually doing day to day.”

Hernández is interested in “the intersection of technology and civic life.” He has spent his career working to design ways to “use technology for good,” he said.

Like most South Floridians, Hernández’s family immigrated to Miami in search of freedom and opportunity. Their story, and the stories of friends, neighbors and families that he met, all pursuing the American Dream, inspired him to help others.

From his work at Democracy Works – building and developing software to support the voting infrastructure – to his current role at Microsoft where he is working on civic innovation, including expanding access to citizens and brainstorming ways to improve public transit, Hernández is working to create solutions.

At Microsoft, one of his initiatives is to increase access to technology and computer science to students in K-12 classrooms. Not only is he hoping to provide more access to coding and computer programming, but to include more viewpoints and ideas in development.

“We’re all consuming technology, but we’re not all building it,” he said. “So many people have been left out, both racially and gender wise… that if we don’t progress in that area, then we won’t be serving everyone.”

Inviting professionals to visit classrooms and talk to students and teachers is meant to inspire the business community to invest in public education. But, it also works to inspire students.

“It was really cool to see someone who was born and raised here in Miami choose to come back home to work on making our community better for everyone,” said Yasmine Mezawi, senior class vice president and editor-in-chief of Alpha & Omega, MLEC’s yearbook. “That’s what I hope to do.”