Maria and her mom
Maria and her Shotokan Karate instructor
As a child, Maria Hernandez couldn’t understand why she wasn’t allowed to travel with her classmates to other
states for school programs. When she was in seventh grade, her mom and dad gently
broke the news: She was undocumented. Her younger brother and sister qualified as
citizens because they were born in the United States. But Maria was born in El Salvador, and her parents moved with her to the U.S. when she was just one and a half.
“I didn’t understand why my not being born here was a problem — or why it limits so
many opportunities,” she says. Not only is she denied a work permit, but travel restrictions
prevent her from visiting her great-grandmother and other relatives in El Salvador.
“I FaceTime with them sometimes, which helps,” she says.
The family originally journeyed to the U.S. for medical reasons. “We came here because
of me,” Maria says. As a baby she suffered from severe seizures after contracting
a rotavirus, and the physicians in her native country were unable to help. “My parents
came here for my health and for better opportunities,” she adds.
The U.S. government may have limited those opportunities, but Maria still seizes as
many as she can. This includes being the first member of her immediate family to attend
college. Wanting to repay the privilege of receiving healthcare here, she is studying
at Santa Monica College to become a nurse. Students completing SMC’s accredited nursing program are eligible
to take the national licensing exam for becoming a registered nurse. The curriculum
also prepares students to transfer to Bachelor of Science programs and further expand
their professional horizons.
So as soon as this nation allows her to pursue her career, Maria will be ready.
Found in Translation
After toying with notions of becoming a zookeeper or firefighter, Maria felt drawn
to the medical profession by the time she reached middle school. Already fascinated
by science, she says, “whenever I had to go to the emergency room or a medical appointment,
I always paid attention to what the doctors were doing.”
Soon she was accepted into Los Angeles’ prestigious Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School. But the nursing profession began to hold more attraction than becoming a physician.
“I noticed that whenever I went to the hospital, I’d spend more time with nurses than
with my doctor,” she recalls.
Calling herself a “people person,” Maria also realized the importance of interpersonal
skills to being a nurse. “I want to spend more time communicating with patients and
their families than doctors are able to do,” she says.
She also plans to draw on her Spanish-language skills, which she initially honed by translating for her mom and dad. The
shortage of Spanish-speaking nurses and physicians, Maria notes, causes too many Latinos
to avoid necessary care because of their discomfort with language barriers. To help
overcome the obstacles caused by this lack of representation, she says, “I want to
give back to my community — especially the Hispanic community — so people can see
more faces like mine in the field of nursing.”
Finding Support
Maria’s SMC studies began during the COVID-19 pandemic, when safety measures had forced
all courses online. Preferring in-person contact, she admits to struggling during
her first semester. “But I stayed positive, and the professors were all really patient
and supportive,” Maria says. She was especially grateful to Professor of Chemistry
Roman Ferede for making sure nothing was lost while instilling laboratory skills through a computer
screen.
Still, Maria didn’t feel like she was getting the true SMC experience until all students
and faculty returned to campus. “Now I see how diverse the college is,” she says.
“And I’ve been able to connect with people who are undocumented like me, so that makes
me feel welcome.”
SMC’s DREAM Program is part of that welcoming environment, according to Maria. The program offers a range
of support services for undocumented students — from academic, career and personal
counseling to workshops and assistance in applying for financial aid.
Healthy Future
Maria applied to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, hoping to be accepted as a DREAMer herself. Having run on the cross-country team at Bravo High School, she knows all about the
commitment needed to finish a marathon, and the arduous path of gaining DACA status
is certainly that. In addition, she has practiced Shotokan karate for five years and will earn her black belt soon.
“I’ve always liked sports having to do with self-defense,” she says. Like cross-country,
Shotokan also demands endurance and stamina — ideal qualities for success in her future
nursing career as well as for weathering the bureaucratic limbo in which she currently
finds herself. So even though political forces currently stop her from obtaining a
work permit, Maria remains optimistic about the future.
“I have learned to be patient,” she says. “My time will come.”
* * *
SMC in Focus Volume VIII, Issue 2
So Much Drama
As Juilliard graduate Anthony Richardson makes his Off-Broadway directorial debut, he reflects on the many ways Santa Monica College ignited his bright future. Read Article
Can Mongolia Go Green?
SMC to UCLA transfer Enkh-Uchral “Eddie” Enkhbayar came all the way from Ulaanbaatar to study engineering and help fix his home city’s serious infrastructure problems. Read Article
Born This Way
SMC student Ashley Lopez is challenging perceptions about software engineers and hackers — and what it means to be LGBTQ+. Read Article
Journalistic Journey
SMC Professor and Emmy Award-winning journalist Ashanti Blaize-Hopkins helps students sharpen their newsgathering skills while championing freedom of the press. Read Article
Bragging Rights
SMC’s literary journal has two Pushcart Prize mentions. An Emeritus professor sells her debut novel to an imprint of Penguin Random House. A dance instructor creates meaningful choreography. Read Article
A Place to Belong
Brought to the U.S. for medical care at an early age, Maria Hernandez is studying at Santa Monica College to become a nurse and help others. Read Article