Editor’s note: The Chronicle conducted its interview with Luis Alonso Juárez in Spanish and has confirmed the accuracy of translated quotes throughout the article.
The sound of rising music punctuates a quiet morning on West Campus as a C1 bus makes its way towards the stop on Abele Quad. As the doors open, students thank the driver and stream out while the music keeps pumping.
Known by students as the “party bus,” Luis Alonso Juárez’s particular C1 bus has a long legacy of livening up the journey between campuses, blasting music from Bad Bunny to Skrillex from its speakers for students to enjoy as a welcome reprieve from the midday slog.
However, few know the man behind the music.
Juárez, 51, has driven the C1 for six years, becoming a familiar face on campus through his mood-boosting bus rides. However, his life in the United States began 30 years ago, when he immigrated from a “very different” Honduras.
When Juárez eventually arrived in Durham, he was met with some familiar faces from his home country who encouraged him to start working in bridge carpentry. Soon after, he secured a job in housekeeping at Duke University Hospital.
“When you get older, it’s not the same,” Juárez said of his decision to leave his construction job. “Construction tires you out.”
As Juárez got to know some of the Duke bus drivers, they mentioned the University was hiring. Seeking a job he found more fulfilling than his housekeeping work, Juárez went to the Department of Motor Vehicles to apply for his commercial driver’s license.
“I applied, but it was difficult,” he said, emphasizing that his lack of English proficiency was a significant barrier to obtaining his license. “You come here, you don’t speak English, you don’t have a car, you don’t have a license. So it’s not easy.”
Determined to overcome these challenges, Juárez enrolled in English classes at Durham Technical Community College for a year, hoping to improve his skills and transition to a more “comfortable” job.
His efforts paid off, but the journey wasn’t easy. Obtaining his commercial license and passing the road test ultimately cost him around $300, which to Juárez was “a big weight.” Still, he views getting his license as “a good investment” and “a good experience.”
Becoming a bus driver offered Juárez a new outlet for creativity. He has made it his mission to create a fun environment for students, putting music on because “students enjoy themselves, and they’re young, and they like the music.” With long shifts being a regular part of the job, the music also helps Juárez keep his energy up on the road.
Juárez is known for playing a wide variety of tunes on his Campus Drive commute. He said his favorite genres are “all of them,” calling out bachata and merengue in particular but emphasizing his affinity for “a little bit of everything.”
His diverse tastes stem from his upbringing in Honduras, where he said he developed a fondness for American-style music. Juárez has found that playing a range of music on the bus connects him to his passengers, and he alternates between playing genres he thinks they’ll enjoy and songs that may be more unfamiliar during his daily rides between East and West Campus.
“They like it because it’s music that’s different from theirs,” he said. “… They like to listen to something different.”
After Juárez finishes his shift, he drops his bus off and walks to the Classroom Building on East Campus, where he is pursuing his GED certificate through evening classes with the Duke Gente Aprendiendo Para Nuevas Oportunidades program. He noted feeling supported by Duke in his journey to obtain his high school equivalency diploma.
“It’s an opportunity that Duke has for people who want to learn,” he said.
The program also gives him the opportunity to volunteer to teach English twice a week in the evenings to other English as a Second Language students.
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Ultimately, Juárez shared that he hopes to earn a bachelor’s degree and become a nurse or an engineer. Outside of classes, he enjoys going to the gym to relax after long shifts.
Despite the challenges he’s been through, Juárez is grateful for his life in the United States.
“I have a good house here. In Honduras, I never had [a house]; I didn’t have a car or even a bicycle.” Juárez said. “… If you work hard here, you do well.”
He believes that his past six years driving Duke buses has been a “good investment.”
“It’s not easy. It’s hard,” said Juárez. “But thank God I made it, you know what I mean?”
Alejandro Nina Duran contributed reporting.
Kate Haver is a Trinity sophomore and a university news editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.