Photo Credit: WNMU Bianca Trucios visiting Peru with a family member
SILVER CITY, NM — For many, the American Dream is a concept found in textbooks. For Bianca Trucios (aka Bianca Thompson) a Western New Mexico University (WNMU) alum and Peruvian immigrant, the dream was forged in the quiet hours of 3:00 a.m., fueled by a journey that began in a small mountain town in the Andes.
Born into a reality where civil unrest was a backdrop to daily life, Trucios recalls a childhood defined by both beauty and hardship. “I was the little kid who would walk around barefoot in the mountains, cutting my own Christmas tree and walking it home,” Trucios remembers. But the serenity of the mountains was often pierced by the violence of the era.
Beyond the physical danger, economic instability loomed large. Trucios watched her father—a talented chef, accountant, and professor—work hard to provide for his family. Then, the national currency lost its value. Despite these hardships, her parents made the ultimate sacrifice: skipping meals and foregoing new clothes to ensure their children attended private schools, to address frequent disruptions in Peru’s public education services.
Determined to break the cycle of a “restrained life” and to build a future where she could support a family without fear, Trucios immigrated to the United States alone at the age of 18.
Upon arrival, the “logistical shock” was not the difficulty of the work, but the abundance of it. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so easy.’ It’s a whole open book,” she says. “It shocked me to see the privileges Americans take for granted. In this country it is so much easier for anyone to become whoever they want to be, compared to where I grew up.”
After twelve years of building a life, getting married, and starting a family, Trucios realized she wanted more than just a job—she wanted an identity rooted in education. She earned her GED and enrolled at WNMU to master the English language and study business. Trucios’s goal was simple but profound: “I wanted to read and write English better, so I could read books to my son. I wanted my kids to look up to me.”
A senior majoring in Business with minors in Entrepreneurship and Marketing, Trucios has balanced motherhood and full-time studies through the WNMU online programs. She credits her persistence to a dedicated support system at the university.
Her advisor, Sally Beckworth, acted as a strategist and cheerleader during moments of doubt, helping her navigate challenging semesters. In the virtual classrooms, she found an unexpected mentor in WNMU Assistant Professor of Marketing Gordon Flanders, Ph.D. “He is the most responsive teacher I have ever had,” she notes. “I would do my work at 3:00 in the morning and see my grade post at 3:30 that same morning. He made sure everything was clear, point to point,” Trucios said.
Trucios shares a key milestone with her son, who currently attends San Juan College; both mother and son are expected to graduate later in 2026.
“I wanted my son to think, ‘My mom wanted to do this, and she did it,'” she says. To other non-traditional students, her message is clear: “There are no blocks you can’t overcome. We are human beings, and we can adjust—you have to allow yourself to get there.”
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