Juana Hernandez

Juana Hernandez has focused her work on empowering underserved communities, including first generation college students, low-income youth, and racially and ethnically underrepresented groups. In her present position at the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), she helps manage the HACU National Internship Program, which provides substantive internship opportunities within federal government agencies to diverse undergraduate and graduate students.

Prior to this, Ms. Hernandez worked in academic advising and retention programming at the University of the District of Columbia, the District's only public, land-grant institution with an HBCU legacy. There, she advised entering freshmen, taught Freshmen Orientation, managed the Urban Scholars Academy and the Academic Support Center, and developed retention initiatives for students on academic probation. For her commitment to public service, Ms. Hernandez was nationally recognized as a 2009 Harry S. Truman Scholar.

Ms. Hernandez is also committed to advancing educational research and policy. In 2007 she was awarded a grant from the UCLA Center for American Politics and Public Policy to study state and federal affirmative action policies in higher education. She further developed her policy research skills as a 2008 Public Policy and International Affairs Fellow at UC Berkeley's Goldman School. For her dedication to educational research, Ms. Hernandez was selected as an inaugural Undergraduate Research Fellow of the American Educational Research Association.

Ms. Hernandez is active within the larger education community, and has presented on peer education models at the 2007 UC Academic Advisors' Conference in Anaheim, CA; on retention strategy at the 2011 First Year Experience National Conference in Atlanta, GA; and on higher education careers at the 2011 AAUW National College Women Student Leaders' Conference in College Park, MD. In addition, she frequently volunteers in scholarship selection cycles for organizations like the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, the Esperanza Ed Fund, and the Hispanic College Fund. She is a member of the Young Education Professionals Network and the Women's Information Network in Washington, DC.

Juana Hernandez graduated magna cum laude from UCLA with a B.A. in English and with minors in Education Studies, Political Science, and Chicano/a Studies.