In Pursuit of a Better Life: Luis Marin Named Tom Brunnick Memorial Scholar

Written by Annie Sferrazza, First Literacy Program Director

“I’m taking it one day at a time. We don’t know what the future has prepared for us,” says Luis Marin, the 2025-2026 Tom Brunnick Memorial Scholarship awardee. While his words signal that he takes life as it comes, his actions speak otherwise – he’s clearly made it his mission each day to ensure his future is bright.   

Luis is set to graduate Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity & Digital Forensics from Bridgewater State University this May. Between his studies there and a year at Bunker Hill Community College, Luis will have completed his bachelor’s degree in three years, taking full-time courses year-round, all while working one or two part-time jobs. This semester, he’s attending school full-time while also interning full-time at State Street as a Cybersecurity Analyst, a job he loves.

“I feel like everything was remarkable – even me, looking back – it’s incredible. I now work for one of the top financial companies, and I didn’t plan this, but I worked for it.”  

Luis has worked for it indeed. He immigrated from Nicaragua to the U.S. in 2018 after the Nicaraguan government started targeting university students. Fearing for his safety, he left his parents and sister behind. While on his journey, he faced even more risk and uncertainty, including dehydration and injury. He’d originally settled in Miami with a friend but found little opportunity there to continue his education. He notes, “The main reason I didn’t learn English [in Miami] was because you have to pay [for English classes]. [In Miami] they need people to serve in the service field. And if more people like us get prepared and go to school, we’re going to start getting jobs that aren’t meant for us.”  

Luis decided to move to Boston in 2020 in search of an opportunity to learn English and pursue a degree. Once settled, he rapidly progressed through his English courses at Maverick Landing Community Services, completed a cybersecurity bootcamp, and secured an IT internship with Catholic Charities. It was through these programs that he learned about First Literacy, which allowed him to help fund his education.   

Luis is receiving a scholarship from First Literacy for the third year, but this year, he was awarded the Tom Brunnick Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship honors Tom Brunnick, an Irish immigrant who came to the U.S. in 1921 in hopes of a better future after fleeing poverty and civil unrest in Ireland. Through hard work and perseverance, Tom built a life for himself in Boston. While their stories are 100 years apart and their backgrounds are vastly different, Luis feels a connection to Tom Brunnick, as both of them left their homelands in pursuit of a better life. 

Receiving this scholarship has eased a lot of burdens for Luis, letting him focus on his education instead of how he will pay for it.

“It’s been very impactful in my life because I don’t have to think about how I will pay for school. I’m thinking and focusing on how to do better in school … it clears the path for me to go to school and not get disappointed or under stress because of everything in the world and the worries, like ‘I have to work today, so I can’t go to school’ … I work and have part-time jobs, but my main goal is to accomplish my bachelor’s, and the scholarship has helped me a lot, really, a lot.”  

Luis was fortunate enough to bring his mom, dad, and sister to the U.S. in 2024. His sister attends a local high school, and he is happy to be a role model for her as the first in his family to go to college. “I’m setting the example for the next generation in my family,” he says. Luis plans to continue working in cybersecurity, either at State Street or with the U.S. government. He is planning on obtaining his master’s degree in cybersecurity in the near future, as well, and hopes to build his own company one day. Whatever he does, his future looks bright.  

If you are interested in establishing a special named scholarship in honor of a loved one contact Terry Witherell, First Literacy Executive Director, at twitherell@firstliteracy.org.