Vera-Tucker's Family Ties
USC OL Alijah Vera-Tucker gets to play in front of his beloved family when the Trojans travel to Cal this weekend.
Aubrey Kragen
11/14/2019
Alijah Vera-Tucker wears his heart on his sleeve.
That is, his arms are adorned with tattoos he got to honor the family members who raised him.
USC’s starting left guard was born Solomon Alijah Tucker on June 17, 1999 in Oakland, Calif. He was named Solomon after his father and grandfather, but has always gone by Alijah, a name his mother, Rhonda, was fond of.
Rhonda and Solomon divorced before Alijah can remember, and both remarried while he was still quite young, giving him four parents and four families to raise him. Rhonda and her second husband, Sylvester Vera, gave Alijah two little sisters named Velia and Rosalinda.
Alijah is close to everyone in his family, particularly his mom.
“I think of my mom as my queen and I’d do anything for her,” says Alijah. “She’s the definition of a strong woman. It was really hard for her to give birth to me, so she went through a lot with that. And in our family, we have a history of heart conditions. And my mom has been a strong survivor of that.”
None could doubt Rhonda’s love for her son when she tore both Achilles at once during a workout and still made it to every one of Alijah’s games at Bishop O’Dowd High School during his senior season, cheering loudly from her wheelchair.
To show his appreciation for his mom and his whole family, Alijah got the word “Madre” tattooed on one bicep and the word “Familia” on the other while he was in high school (his mother’s side of the family speaks Spanish, and he tries to communicate with his tios, tias, hermanas and abuela in Spanish as much as possible).
In high school, he also started going by Alijah Vera-Tucker to show respect to his mom and stepdad and to be more connected to his little sisters, whose last names are Vera.
“I grew up in two households all my life and just being able to show appreciation to the Vera family and the Tucker family at the same time has always been a passion of mine,” he said. “Having those two names instead of one, it feels like I have more power. And it feels like I’m closer to each family.”
Once he got to college, Vera-Tucker took two big steps to permanently link himself to both sides of his family. He inked “VERA” and “TUCKER” onto his forearms, and went to the DMV to legally change his last name to Vera-Tucker.
This weekend, Vera-Tucker gets to go home to play in front of the Veras, the Tuckers, the Hendersons (his mom’s family) and the Bernards (his stepmom’s family). Vera-Tucker, who’s proven to be one of USC’s top offensive linemen this season, is expecting a crowd of 60 to 70 family members as the Trojans head north to face the Cal Bears.
Growing up in Oakland shaped Vera-Tucker as much as the four families who raised him.
“There’s a rich culture there,” said Vera-Tucker of his hometown. “It’s just a different vibe than anywhere else. When people say I’m from the Bay Area, I correct them and say I’m from Oakland. I take a lot of pride in that.”
Vera-Tucker is excited to play just a few miles from where he grew up, and he hopes to make his beloved family proud.
“Having those four groups of families really raised me to be the man I am today,” Vera-Tucker said. “I’m blessed to have all that family in my life. Without my family, I really don’t believe I’d be here today.”
