Julián Castro's Wife Erica Lira Could Be America's Future First Lady
Julián Castro was one of the breakout stars of the first round of debates for candidates vying for the Democratic Party nomination. He's still polling at just 1% and has high hopes for his appearance in the second debates, on July 31st.
His wife, Erica Lira Castro, has been supportive. She is a teacher in San Antonio and she has continued to work throughout the campaign.
The caucuses for the 2020 election don't officially kick off until February 3 of next year, but even this far out, the race is already in full swing. So there's no time like the present to get to know the candidates, and their families. One Democratic hopeful is Julián Castro, the former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under the Obama administration. And by his side throughout this race is his wife of 12 years, Erica Lira Castro.
Both born-and-raised San Antonio natives, Erica and Julián first met when he was home from Harvard one summer.
They married in July of of 2007 and have two children together, Carina and Cristián.
A post shared by Julián Castro (@juliancastrotx) on Aug 24, 2018 at 7:25pm PDT
Erica attended the University of Texas at San Antonio.
As a first-generation college student, she earned a bachelor's degree in English, and then went on to receive a master's degree in educational leadership. Erica worked as an elementary school math teacher for over a decade, and now serves as an education consultant, according to the Dallas Morning News.
She previously worked with Dr. Jill Biden to encourage more Latinos to consider entering the field of teaching.
"As a teacher, I have seen firsthand the tremendous effect we can have on our students by showing them that we believe in them and we expect great things from them. They rise to the occasion, and succeed," she said in a promotional campaign.
"As our nation’s Hispanic student population grows, there is an increasing need for more teachers who are Hispanic, for more teachers who understand Hispanic culture and communities. The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics is highlighting Hispanic teachers, to encourage more young people to consider a career in teaching."
Watch their video in full here:
Erica currently works in Harlandale Independent School District in San Antonio.
Per a January story in the New York Times about her husband, Erica "works in the Harlandale Independent School District on the city’s South Side," which is where she grew up.
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