Ismael Loera

About Ismael Loera

At the age of eleven, Ismael's life took a drastic turn when his family moved abruptly from Tamaulipas, Mexico, to Houston, Texas. With no chance to say goodbye to friends or prepare for life away from his tios, abuelos, and primos, the move left a lasting impact. 

Despite excelling in school, Ismael was forced to keep his status as an undocumented immigrant hidden. That changed when he confided in a teacher, explaining why he couldn’t attend a science competition she had helped him qualify for. To his relief, she supported him and assisted him in applying to a magnet high school, setting him on a new path. Ismael went on to receive a QuestBridge National Scholarship, allowing him to attend Emory University.

At Emory, Ismael double-majored in chemistry and economics while immersing himself in campus life. As president of the Latino Student Organization, he expanded the university’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration, transforming the events into fundraisers for Caminar Latino, a local shelter supporting immigrant women and children. His academic achievements included an honors thesis in which he developed a model course designed to offer a more holistic approach to teaching chemistry at the undergraduate level.

In 2012, Ismael was granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), opening doors to graduate studies and impacting his daily life in smaller but significant ways—like allowing him to fly home, sparing him the thirteen-hour bus rides.

As a graduate student at Rice University, Ismael published research on bismuth carboxylate complexes with potential antibacterial and antiparasitic applications. His leadership extended to serving as president of both the Latin American Graduate Student Association and the Chemistry Graduate Student Association.

After 2016, Ismael transitioned from academia to focus on education and childhood development. He moved to New York City, where he became a teacher and eventually the Senior Director of School Operations for an elementary school in Brooklyn’s East New York neighborhood. In 2022, after living in this country for over 20 years, Ismael became a United States Citizen.

Today, Ismael serves as the Director of People & Culture at Room to Grow, a nonprofit with locations in New York City, Boston, and soon Chicago. The organization equips low-income parents and caregivers with essential baby and toddler items, developmental strategies, and community resources, all designed to expand their support networks and enhance their children’s early growth.