Ruben Soruco

Four high school–aged students stare at an algebra equation on the chalkboard behind Ruben Soruco.

“Come on, you know the answer,” says Soruco in his thick Bolivian accent. “I know you can do it.”

Eventually, the first figures it out, and as the rest follow suit, they are greeted by a high-five and rousing “Alright!” from Soruco.

It is a summer day at the Science Museum of Minnesota, and though there is Star Wars and other interactive exhibits to steal their attention, the four teens spend nearly half an hour with Soruco as he takes them through a series of increasingly complicated equations, praising and prodding them along the way. As the teens head to their bus, they are immediately replaced by two bright-eyed seven-year-olds, and Soruco jumps into a lesson about symmetry. He switches from subject to subject with ease, the result of a lifetime spent teaching high school math and physics in both Bolivia and the United States. In retirement, the seventy-eight-year-old spends a half dozen days a month at the Science Museum Discovery Desk and has donated thousands of hours since 1999.

“I do it for them, for that reaction,” Soruco says as the seven-year-old in pigtails claps in delight after solving Soruco’s puzzle. “I love watching kids be successful.”

Soruco came to the United States in 1957 during a time of political unrest in Bolivia. He began teaching Spanish and math at the high school and college levels, belonging to numerous professional associations and garnering honors such as the Minnesota Business Association’s Excellence in Education Award. In retirement, he’s traveled around the world, including trips back to Bolivia, where he assisted the ministry of education with curriculum and will return this fall to build houses with Habitat for Humanity. Stateside, he’s dedicated time to Loaves and Fishes, the Special Olympics, Boy Scouts, and other community organizations. Nevertheless, he says his greatest joy comes from the time he spends at the museum, manning the Discovery Desk, developing curriculum, or assisting with special exhibits.

“He is a joy. Everyone—staff and visitors—loves him,” says Heather Cox, director of volunteers for the museum.

And Soruco, in turn, loves lending a helping hand. “I love coming here, I love what I do,” he says. “My only hope is that I will be able to do it as long as I can.”