Building bridges between what a student is already capable of doing and all that potential that has yet to be revealed; that is Yanelis Luna’s work. It involves imparting knowledge and guiding the process through which each student builds their own confidence to walk in their own footsteps.

“I always dreamed of being a teacher. I had a teacher who was my idol, my role model, my example to follow,” she confesses. That woman’s name was Madelaine Pérez, and although she is no longer with us, her memory continues to guide every step taken by this general coordinator of the Ramón Téllez Special School.

“She was the person I always wanted to emulate, and I thank her for the person I’ve become,” she says with emotion. That little school, she recalls, was so small that it eventually disappeared; today it’s a warehouse. But that didn’t stop the seed from taking root.

When she expressed her desire to become a teacher, some people argued that it wasn’t a good career choice or that it didn’t pay well, so she opted to study business instead, but her passion remained undiminished. She worked for seven years at the Pioneers Palace until life presented her with a challenge that would completely transform her destiny.

“I had a son with special educational needs, so I wanted to understand why my child had been born with these characteristics; that’s how I got started at the Ramón Téllez Special School,” she recounts.

She first arrived as a teaching assistant, then began her bachelor’s degree in Special Education. “I’m grateful to Commander Fidel because I left school in twelfth grade, and he devised a program for workers that paid a salary to young people like us who had dropped out, allowing us to study.”

At first, she thought her thesis would focus on intellectual disabilities, driven by doubts about her son’s diagnosis. However, her studies began to provide answers, and her heart turned toward another area. “I gradually became more drawn to the field of visual impairment; it’s the specialty I love the most, the one I’m most passionate about.”

She taught in the classroom for years, an experience she considers irreplaceable. “That’s what allows you to prepare yourself, to get to know the children, and to interact with them. I love working—and especially that aspect of special education.” Later, due to the school’s needs, she moved into a coordinating role. But she admits that her heart remains tied to the classroom, to the children, to the family, and to that sense of belonging, responsibility, and human compassion.

“I always use my personal life with my family as an example, so they know I’m not oblivious to their situation; I put myself in their shoes.” Her son, she says proudly, is a success story of special education. “He came in with a difficult diagnosis —an intellectual disability combined with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)— and today he’s a success story. He’s enrolled in a vocational program, studying barbering, learning a trade, and he’s a young man who interacts with others just like anyone with average intellectual ability,” she tells us.

“From the moment I first walked into a classroom of children in need of special education, I knew I had found my purpose in life,” confesses this teacher, deeply moved, after 23 uninterrupted years in the teaching profession.

“Thanks to the Revolution for preparing me, for allowing me to work with these children.” A story that proves no obstacle can prevent someone from fulfilling their dream of teaching.