Luci Profile

From a young age, Luci was the definition of a prodigy—known as the girl who “had it all.” By the time she was twelve, she was scoring well beyond her age in science and math, outpacing her classmates with a natural curiosity that seemed boundless. Teachers would marvel at her, and her parents always heard how “bright her future looked.” Luci’s teenage years were filled with science fairs, honors clubs, and special classes, and her love of conservation, especially for bees, saw her preparing to pursue an ambitious career in environmental biology. But the pressure, fueled by everyone’s expectations, began to weigh on her. Every success seemed to only create more demand on her to be “exceptional,” leaving her barely any time to actually enjoy the things she loved.

By high school, Luci was so driven by her need to be the best that she started to burn out. She pulled all-nighters to keep up, skipped out on social events, and refused to take breaks. Her once bright-eyed enthusiasm for biology and conservation became clouded with stress, and the field that used to fill her with passion felt more like an obligation. What had once been a joy now felt like a constant performance. Even small mistakes left her feeling like a failure, and as the pressure mounted, she began to crack under it. She found herself overwhelmed, disinterested, and unsure if she even wanted to pursue biology anymore.

Baking had always been something she did just for fun, but as her academic world spiraled, it became her sanctuary. Kneading dough, sifting flour, and experimenting with honey-based recipes started as small breaks from her studies, but soon, they were the only moments in the day where Luci felt truly at peace. Instead of staring down long lists of equations or lab reports, she found herself experimenting with flavors, textures, and recipes, creating treats that reminded her of the sweetness she felt she’d lost in her academic life.

When Luci left high school a year early with top honors, she shocked her friends and family by choosing not to pursue a science degree. Instead, she accepted a job at a small, local bakery, opting for early morning shifts and long hours kneading dough over the academic career everyone had expected. To those around her, it seemed like Luci had “thrown away her potential,” but for her, it was the first time in years that she was truly content. In baking, she found the joy she’d once had for biology, only without the crushing weight of expectations.

Over time, Luci’s “backup” passion became her full-time calling. Her talent for baking, combined with her almost obsessive attention to detail, helped her hone her craft until she became known for her incredible honey-infused pastries and sweets, gaining a reputation in Saisi as the “Honey Girl.” When Sonia approached her with the idea of joining her bar venture, it felt like the perfect way to turn this newfound passion into something real. Baking had not only become her stress relief but her salvation from a life of perfectionism that had once ruled her.

These days, Luci’s friends still see the spark of her prodigious mind—she still reads extensively on biology, and her love for conservation hasn’t faded—but instead of pursuing it academically, she channels that energy into her baking and her rooftop bee sanctuary. Her rooftop hive setup is meticulously designed, drawing on her science background to optimize the environment for her bees. Each morning, she’s there with her tea, checking on the bees, perhaps whispering a few words of encouragement to the tiny workers who remind her so much of herself: driven, hardworking, and always making something sweet out of the world around them.

Luci’s journey is a testament to the beauty of rediscovering oneself and learning to pursue happiness on her own terms, one honey-soaked scone at a time.