Charles Lussier grew up in Orlando, Fla. He graduated from Bishop Moore High School in Orlando in 1989. He first came to Louisiana that same year to attend Loyola University where he graduated in 1993. From there he took a job with the Houma Courier where he worked for seven years, covering state and local politics and the environment. In 2001, he joined The Advocate as an education writer, covering schools in East Baton Rouge Parish.