Hi Hounds, Hounds! This week on Highlighting Hounds, we are featuring senior Yaire Hernandez ’25. Yaire has made a profound impact on the Assumption University community through their diverse involvement in a wide range of student organizations and leadership roles. From being the president of Latinos Unidos to serving as an ambassador for ALANA, Yaire has worked tirelessly to foster a more inclusive and connected campus environment. Their efforts in promoting cultural awareness, supporting first-generation students, and helping bridge gaps within the community reflect their deep commitment to creating spaces where students can thrive and feel heard. Read more to learn how Yaire’s leadership has inspired countless students and left a lasting mark on the Assumption campus, and what advice they have to offer!
Give a brief overview of your campus involvement and impact on the Assumption community.
My campus involvement has impacted my time at assumption significantly, I have been able to make new connections with diverse groups of people. In making new connections, I have been able to help with various programming, such as Latinx Festival, Middle Eastern Festival or even the first-generation student overnight hosted by the Cross-Cultural Center. On top of being part of various clubs, I have been an admissions ambassador where I have been able to meet perspective students and help them from the student perspective the admissions process and the resources we have to offer. My experience at assumption has been so kind to me. Being a commuter, my biggest concern was being able to adapt into the environment. Everyone was so welcoming, all the clubs and professors I have been able to meet have shown an effort to help me in ways that were so interpersonal for me to grow. My friends and staff are the embodiment of hounds helping hounds. I’ve been working in admissions as an admissions ambassador since freshman year. I am currently having internship at the Worcester Court House in the Court Services Center. I am president of Latinos Unidos & Pizza Puch and Politics. I am the community outreach ambassador for ALANA. I am almost part of the universities strategic planning committee, and I am involved with Campus Ministry, one of my most memorable moments was going on the SEND trip to El Paso and Chapparell. The SEND trip really changed my outlook on life. I am a first-generation student and second generation American so meeting migrants firsthand make me realize I wanted to work closely with the migrant community, and I thank Assumption for offering me the opportunity to go on such a wonderful trip.
You’ve been very involved on campus in several leadership roles, such as being the president of Latinos Unidos and Pizza, Puch, and Politics. How did you get involved in these clubs, and what has been the most rewarding aspect of leading them?
My involvement with Latinos Unidos started 1 year ago, where Brenda hunt approached me the initiative in starting a club that would accurately introduce latin culture in a good spotlight to students who had little to no knowledge about Latino/Hispanic culture. One of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had running the group are the reactions families and local family restaurants have when we try and include them on campus events because they feel proud of the work they do and the impact of continuing traditions. Pizza Punch and Politics has been a club run by students in the political science department as an initiative to have safer and open conversations about contemporary political events with professors of the political science department , this club has been running for around 4 years and the relationships built with my professors have grown deeper because of PPP.
As the community outreach ambassador for ALANA, what initiatives or projects have you worked on, and how have they helped strengthen the sense of community on campus?
One thing that I worked on as an outreach ambassador was a Flowers tabling for women’s history month that came along with shouting out a women they value on a poster. Though this was one of my smaller events, it touched my heart because I saw how much love students have for their moms, professors, themselves, emplyoees and friends. I saw flowers being given to our population of women on campus as a sign of that love and appreciations, and I really enjoyed seeing that.
What inspired you to become so involved, and how did you obtain these positions?
In high school, I used to be involved in sports, but with pandemic happening, all those hobbies got cut and I was not able to distract myself. It was then when I realized how much I didn’t value enough these clubs. Getting into college and not being able to drive for medical reasons encouraged me even more to join a variety of clubs like ALANA, PAWS, PPP, CAB, and so much more, with being consistent In showing up to meetings and wanting to help set up for events, it made me want to go a step further and potentially become a leader in these groups, in hope to gain new skills but also trying to show what I may bring to the table.
What are your career goals? How will your experiences help you reach those goals?
My future goals are to help migrant families in the U.S. in terms of applying for residency/citizenship. I think this is something that needs attention, especially now. I am the child of first generation Americans who had to get their citizenship while I was growing up a little girl. My first language is Spanish and it’s something that I hold near and dear to my heart because there are families across the US who their English is limited and I think when I’m able to communicate them in their native tongue it automatically gives them a sense of home and comfort and ability to build a relationship within each other. Have been able to work with diverse groups of youth, adults and more and because of those experiences through my internship through helping in the Wilshire. Community it helps me adapt into different environments.
Can you tell us more about your role on the university’s strategic planning committee? What is your vision for how students can contribute to shaping the university’s future?
My role in the strategic planning committee has been to check the Wellness of the students across campus, from seniors to freshmen. I think a big goal of mine for the university is to give more recognition to 1st generation students because Their experiences will help shape not just the university in the future, but the world and the US as a whole. Making sure that the Wellness of first Gen. students on campus needs to be addressed and needs to be put to some level of importance. In order to create that comfort into the university, it’s important to talk to these first and students and give feedback from them so we’re able to better address their needs.
Your involvement in Campus Ministry, including the SEND trip to El Paso and Chaparral, seems to have been a transformative experience. Can you share more about how that trip impacted your perspective on life and your career aspiration?
As I mentioned before, my parents were not born in the US. So growing up, I’ve had to really balance out naturally being born in the US compared to being raised in a Salvadorian household. When I went on the sun trip, it really spoke to my heart because it was a direct reminder of the work my parents put in so my siblings and I could get an education. I met families who came from Afghanistan, that came from the Dominican Republic, families who Salvador, families from Brazil, and each of them had come to the US with the goal of a better future, with the goal of being offered opportunity. One of my distinct memories on the trip was meeting a mother from Guatemala who had crossed over into the city of Juarez in Mexico, and she had told me that her four year old daughter had been kidnapped by the cartel and that for a week almost, she had. No idea what her daughter was. As a result of her cries, she came to the US and had begged for help to look for her daughter and. Without seeing too much, she was able to find her, but now this daughter. Suffers the trauma of late nights. Of being alone and so much more. I have a niece myself around that same age and all I could think was how I would have reacted in that situation. And to be frank, I don’t think there’s an exact reaction I can describe to you because all I feel in my heart to this day is. Panic. Worry. Distress and heartbreak. But I remember the mom and I see how strong she is and how positive she’s been since she’s been to the States and. To me, that is probably one of the biggest lessons I have learned. There are no words to describe the feeling I had helping these families and hearing their stories.
Being a first-generation student must come with unique challenges. How has your experience at Assumption shaped your perspective on higher education and your role within it?
My time at Assumption has been so memorable. It’s so unique to me. In the beginning, it was so hard to navigate my personal life, my social life and my academic life. I have seen assumption and their staff such as conway brenda hunt but i’ve also seen professors such as professor Dobski, bell and Kistasky show me the utmost respects but also the utmost care. Their names are forever ingrained in my heart because they have been able to empathize with my personal situations and accommodate me so I’m able to succeed inside and outside of the classroom. There are some schools that are too big to notice those struggles. But with an assumption and if you look hard enough, you will find that there are so many people that care and that want to help you. It’s just a matter of if you want to be helped and if you’re willing to undergo those rigorous changes and adapt into a changing environment.
What are your key takeaways from your experience?
Some of my takeaways from the experience is to time manage. And I say that because you’re going to have so much free time on your hands. And with that free time, it’s a matter of using it wisely, whether it’s to take a little nap or to sleep or to study or to hang out with friends. I have found a home within the Cross Cultural Center and I cannot think Brenda and every student in the CCC more. They have become my family in which we have been able to intertwine our cultures and celebrate our differences and celebrate the difference of cultures. I have given myself the opportunity to meet new people and understand people and talk to different people because their stories leave a lesson.
Will you continue your education? If so, what are the key factors that will influence your decision on where to continue your education?
As of right now, I am not going to continue my education. I will be doing a volunteer program, but it is my hope in the future that I am able to go to grad school and better inform myself on how to help migrant families here in the US.
Looking back on your time at Assumption, what would you say is the most rewarding aspect of your involvement in student leadership? How has it influenced your personal and professional growth?
Being involved in admissions as well as the Cross Cultural Center. It’s so much more has giving me the discernment to want to help people. I am not someone that wants to work in an isolated area by myself. I find comfort in helping others, especially those who need the help, even if it’s in the slightest manner. I have seen the differences a little conversation can make, and I have learned patience. The connections I’ve made. Is probably the most rewarding thing because their connections that I will remember for the rest of my life.
Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently in your leadership roles, or any lessons you wish you had learned sooner?
I probably would have told myself to take freshman year seriously because I did not understand the severity of the transition from high school to college. And that’s not to say it’s impossible to overcome, because it 100% is. But I want to tell myself to make it a habit to balance my social life and my academic life because they’re both just as important, but they both coincide with each other. You can’t forget one thing. To focus on the other, you need to focus on both. I wish I was able to tell myself to take more opportunities and Actually talk to all of my professors and all of my friends.
If you are interested in being featured on Highlighting Hounds or know of any students who would be a strong candidate, please email us at careerdevelopment@assumption.edu!
