The Power of the Hustle: Laurel Springs Alum Roberto Luconi

4/19/22

If there’s one word to describe Roberto Luconi, it’s “hungry.” It’s a word he says describes his drive to succeed in all aspects of life—in high school and collegiate athletics, in academics, and now in his profession and studying for his MBA—for as far back as he can remember.

Before the Laurel Springs School alum was an up-and-coming sales professional at Eclipse California, a consulting and customer acquisition services firm, he was a student-athlete with big dreams. He recalls when he first realized his ambition and education seemed at odds with one another.

“I was playing tennis and then I got a little bit more serious with it, which required me to start traveling a lot more and spend more time practicing," Roberto says. " I was missing a lot of time at school.”

While tennis was a priority, it was important to Roberto to excel academically. He knew that the traditional brick-and-mortar high school experience was not the path to make this happen. The Costa Rica native tried one non-traditional program and did not feel it met his needs. Fortunately, he says, he knew of someone who attended Laurel Springs and was encouraged to check it out. After meeting with an Admissions Coordinator and explaining he didn’t want to sacrifice one goal for another, Roberto knew he had found what he was looking for in the school’s asynchronous, mastery-based learning model.

“We thought Laurel Springs was a great fit based on the goals I had with tennis and getting into college,” Roberto says.

In hindsight, math and chemistry were the hardest classes for Roberto during his pre-college years. Spanish was the easiest, as he’s a bilingual speaker, a gift that meant there was no language barrier when he moved to California to attend college and play tennis at Azusa Pacific University upon graduation from Laurel Springs in 2015.

Having an open mind also served him well. While he didn’t have an end goal in mind as far as a college major was concerned, he did know his immediate goals were fulfilled by living the life of a collegiate athlete.

“It all started with my going to college and playing college tennis, which was successful,” he says. “So I was very happy about that.”

Mastering the art of the sale with Roberto Luconi

Once he completed his undergraduate program in business management at Azusa Pacific University, he wanted to work for a year to gain some experience and see where life took him. He knew he wanted to grow with a company and, in his words, “eventually be running my own office and then building a whole organization.”

His educational background prepared him for a role in sales and marketing, but he also learned a lot from his time as a student-athlete. Reflecting on the last few years, Roberto says lessons learned on the tennis court have served him well in other aspects, affording him the chance to form lifelong relationships and see the benefits of giving his all to reach his goals.

“I consider myself an above-average worker as far as my work ethic goes, and that probably comes from tennis,” he says.

In the same way Roberto found the balance between academics and athletics throughout his secondary and higher education years to his benefit, he has learned through training and experience how to succeed in sales as an introvert.

As part of Eclipse California’s management training program, Roberto went door to door making sales. For a person with a reserved personality, this is an impressive feat. Even more impressive? He’s found the balance in that role as well and now he’s a leader for others.

“Before I even started working there, I was always known as the shy guy, the guy who would never speak,” Roberto says. “Nobody ever knew anything about me because I would never talk. But that program that broke me out of my shell. Now I’m pretty much the spokesperson on my team. I run morning meetings and conduct interviews. I do all these things that I would never think I would be doing. I attribute it to the growth I've had so far as a person and the connections I've built.”

As Roberto reflects on his present and his future, he is proud of all his accomplishments. In May 2022, he’ll officially add MBA to his list of credentials, earned while working full-time for Eclipse California. He believes profoundly in the power of connections, and he plans to stay in touch with fellow Laurel Springs alumni through LSS Alumni Connect.

I had the best experience at Laurel Springs. Not only were the teachers very helpful when needed, but I also gained the best time management skills that have helped me develop the discipline I have today. Just like the real world, there are many occasions where unsupervised work goes a long way and Laurel Springs was a big part of that lesson.”

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