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Laura Hernandez will never forget her First Generation Stole Ceremony at ����̽��. “Sitting there, the room was filled with so much emotion,” she says. “You could see how proud parents and mentors were. It was a great reminder of why we all dedicated this time to pursue a degree. A pure moment of selflessness and a sense of accomplishment.”

The December 2023 graduate—in addition to being a first-generation college student—received a lot more than a degree during her years at ����̽��, and left behind her a legacy of service and excellence.

In 2022, Hernandez founded Helping Hands, an organization with a mission to serve and provide resources to low-income and minority communities, starting right here in Seguin. “Growing up, I was always taught the importance of serving others and the value of education, so I wanted to create an organization with those same fundamental values.” Helping Hands has done everything from making Blessing Bags for the homeless to creating a Christmas celebration for elementary students who face financial and educational hardships. “I believe the opportunities are endless for this organization, and I am so proud of how far it has come.”

Hernandez was also a participant in ����̽��’s summer research program under the guidance of Dr. Kevin Tate. She researched the cardiovascular and metabolic responses of animals—snails, in this case—which are exposed to heat over an extended period of time. “During my research I absolutely fell in love with this area of science,” she says. She particularly found the putting-it-all-together phase of the work to be gratifying. “There was an immense feeling of accomplishment once I had the opportunity to reflect on the time spent experimenting.”

On top of everything else, Hernandez was an active member of the Bulldog softball team. “I wouldn’t trade if for the world,” she says of her time as a student-athlete. “Managing practice and game schedules while maintaining a high academic profile was difficult at times, but always rewarding.” Hernandez points to the combined support of family, teammates, coaches, and professors as the key to success, saying that teammates studied together and coaches never issued penalties to athletes who needed to miss practice to study or attend tutoring. Hernandez calls her collegiate athletic career—which included competing at the DIII Women’s College World Series three times—“a fulfilling and character-building experience.”

As a transfer student, Hernandez had been understandably nervous about the transition to a new school. But ����̽�� welcomed her with open arms, quickly putting her fears to rest. “I knew the community and atmosphere here were something special.” She says that ����̽�� being a smaller school with small class sizes is highly advantageous. “You get to build a rapport with each of your professors, which is something you don’t typically get at a bigger university.”

Hernandez has a word of advice for prospective students: get involved right from the start. “Currently, I work five jobs on-campus, participate in sports, have founded my own organization, held numerous officer positions in STEM clubs, participated in research, and am getting a degree in a STEM field. There is no way I would’ve had the luxury to do this at any other university, regardless of size. The relationships I have reflect my involvement at ����̽��.”

Upon graduation, Hernandez will be gaining clinical experience by working as a medical assistant prior to applying for physician assistant school. “One day I hope to specifically focus on areas like endocrinology and sports medicine orthopedics,” she says.

Her Bulldog family will be watching her blaze new trails as she moves into the next chapter of her life, and meanwhile, Hernandez feels ready to rise to new challenges equipped with her experiences at ����̽��. “I truly think this is the only place you can do anything you set your mind to.”