Hector Hernandez
Hector is an amazingly motivated student.
He blasts through obstacles and chooses to tackle new opportunities each year.
He refuses to let challenges halt his progress.
He graduated from Rosemont High School, May 2018 where he was involved in robotics and debate. He chose the local option, Sac State and says, “I could not have picked a better college for myself.” Through his years in college he has taken advantage of the campus amenities, support services, and activities. He can be found on campus throughout the week in class but also in the library studying, visiting friends at the dorms, and also at The Well for exercise and for as-needed medical support. He has also been involved in he campus radio station since he began at Sac State.
Beginning as an undeclared major, he explored a few options before boldly selecting Intro to Computer Science during in his second year. He challenged himself and found he enjoyed programming. “I have always been a logistics person, but I also like to be creative – computer science combines both math and creativity, allowing me to build and create solutions.” By his third year, he officially chose his major as Computer Science. After choosing his major a little later than other students, he took advantage of summer school courses to keep on the track to still graduate in four years.
Starting his freshman year, he volunteered for the campus radio. Through his volunteer work with the radio, he learned how to DJ thanks to a mentor he connected with at the radio station. For his second year he turned his show into a talk show and for his third year, his show was two hours with both music and talk. For his fourth year in college, he applied for the paid position of Promotions Director, which makes him the main DJ and show opener for all visiting artists, and he will coordinate and promote all campus events at which music is a part. Hector applied for paid positions at the radio his 2nd and 3rd years in college, but it was not until his 4th that he was selected – another example of his persistence and unwillingness to give up.
You would not expect it or notice it, but Hector has had partial seizures since he was 15. During his seizures, he loses control of understanding language, communicating and making decisions – which can make it impossible to remain focused on a lecture or participate in an exam. After starting college, his health challenges caused him serious obstacles. Instead of giving up, he sought help from the Sac State student disability center. He met with a counselor to ask what he could do to learn and participate despite his disability. He was afforded the simple accommodation of 150% exam time length, and began recording lectures and accessing professor slide presentations. He overcome his shy nature to create a strong network of students in his courses that he studies with and whom he can rely on for information if he experiences a seizure during class or if he had to miss class due a medical appointment. Hector has successfully and completely overcome his seizure disability to excel in college.
