Women's History Month is celebrated annually in March to honor and recognize women's contributions, achievements, and struggles. GlobalMindED is proud to highlight the voices and work of influential women. Meet Jennifer Hernandez:
From Immigrant Parents to Fighting for Workers Rights to Serving under Two Governors to Providing Radical Access to Education, Meet Jennifer Hernandez, Cell Ed's Chief of Growth and Strategic Partnerships
What is your personal/professional story?
My personal and professional stories are intertwined with my life experiences and those of my family. I am the youngest daughter among 9 siblings, born to immigrants from Guerrero, Mexico and the first to be born in the United States. My parents came from humble beginnings, and seeking a better life, my father first made his way to California to help provide for the family. Upon arrival my father was a migrant farmworker, later settling in Los Angeles where he worked at Grand Central Market and learned English, at least enough to know all the fruits and vegetables that customers requested. Once my mother and siblings were reunited, my parents worked as janitors at night cleaning banks with my older siblings, until they moved to day shifts working as janitors at a department store.
My first experience with workers' rights was through my parents, learning of the injustices they faced at the workplace. Injustice prompted me to work for the United Farm Workers Union (UFW) after college– with hopes of organizing workers and making a difference building power for communities that were often not at the table where decisions were being made. Community organizing and politics eventually led me to work in policy advocacy, and later work for the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), where I served as regional director overseeing programs in thirteen Western States.
When I became a mother my priorities shifted and I decided to move towards a career in government, first serving under the Edmund Brown Administration where I worked on immigrant integration and workforce development issues, and later serving under Gavin Newsom’s Administration where I had the privilege to serve as the Deputy Director of the states’ safety net programs (TANF and SNAP). Most recently, I had the pleasure of working in local government where I oversaw a local Joint Powers Agency of the City and County that included Workforce Development, Head Start, and a Community Action Agency.
All of these experiences have led me to my current role at Cell-Ed, Inc., which stands for Cell Phone-based education. We are a public benefit corporation seeking to provide radically accessible solutions that connect people to the education and resources they need for a better life, work, and health. I serve as the Chief of Growth and Strategic Partnerships where I focus on expanding our partnerships with Government and other like-minded entities that seek to flip the script, eliminate barriers to education and services, and help the majority workforce thrive.
None of this work and professional accomplishments would have been possible without the privilege I hold of having an education. Education has been a driver of access and opportunity for me. I have vivid memories of my family traveling across the country to watch me graduate from my “dream” school, and while I was the first to graduate from college, and later a master's etc., others in my family have followed. Being the first didn't mean being the only one and certainly not the last, it just meant paving the way for others.
I truly believe that it's all of life’s lessons, the experiences my family and I endured, and the many people and programs I have personally benefited from or worked on that give me the unique perspective it takes to craft solutions that truly put people first and help promote the autonomy of individuals to identify their dreams. I hope to continue to work with like-minded individuals and grow the ecosystem of partners to make the systemic change it takes to create a more equitable environment for my daughter, my nieces and nephews, and the generations that follow.
What key moments in your life led you to where you are today?
Three significant moments in my life stand out for having a lasting impact, teaching me three critical lessons.
1. Early Responsibility and Awareness: As the youngest daughter in a large family, I often helped my parents navigate various systems such as banking and healthcare. A memorable incident at a bank in 3rd grade left me with a sense of responsibility, realizing the lack of representation of people who spoke our language and understood our unique needs. I don't remember the outcome, but I distinctly remember acknowledging that a young kid shouldn't be translating critical information and wishing we had help.
2. Lessons in Representation: Winning the school spelling bee in 4th grade and advancing to the district finals, I received encouragement from my teacher who highlighted the importance of being proud of who I was, and encouraged me to own my accomplishments, even when those around me didn't share my experiences, and were not from my neighborhood. This taught me that my accomplishment was less about me, and more about paving the way for others who may feel underrepresented in certain spaces. Years later I finally tracked down that teacher to thank her for her lesson and support. She’s still inspiring others!
3. Academic Support and Personal Loss: In high school, I joined a program targeting “disadvantaged youth”, which provided academic support and exposure to Latino professionals. This program not only helped me academically expand my horizons but also supported me emotionally when I lost my father during my sophomore year. Despite the loss, I had people around me in the program that continued to encourage me to dream big, and provided crucial guidance during a difficult time in my life. Overall, these pivotal moments have shaped my understanding of responsibility, representation, and the importance of support networks in achieving one’s dreams. It has truly taken a village to help shape me as a person and guide me as a professional.
Where does your passion to serve come from?
As the daughter of immigrants and a FirstGen college student, I was often brought into spaces and informed about opportunities by people who took an interest in me and wanted to see me reach my dreams. I was encouraged to believe that I could do anything, which was counter to anything I ever knew as a person in my immigrant family who struggled to survive. We didn't have the luxury to aspire to big things, we just needed to pay bills and stay afloat. Because of these people who supported me, It's my personal life mission to help bring opportunities to others and deconstruct the inequitable systems that created unnecessary barriers for my immigrant parents and siblings. Making systemic change is powerful, but the ability to help one person at a time can be life-changing as well, and I see myself as a changemaker that can help those around me. I’ve been fortunate to have opportunities to help and serve whether it be one-on-one mentoring youth and young professionals, organizing communities around common interests, or leading change from within government.
How can GlobalMindED help you reach your goals?
I hope to continue developing my skills and offer my experience and expertise to help bring others along to underrepresented spaces. I know that by growing the ecosystem of partners across sectors we can dismantle inequity and inspire future leaders to enter new spaces where they can have someone guide and support them. As I've ventured into new spaces, I often still suffer from imposter syndrome and always welcome guidance and coaching from an experienced colleague. GlobalMindED can help us all build those much-needed bridges across audiences, geographies, and economic gaps that need to be closed.
You can meet Jennifer and her Cell-Ed colleagues who are long-time GlobalMindED partners/sponsors and are featured participants at GlobalMindED’s Tenth Anniversary event on June 17 (opening dinner) 18, and 19 in Denver. There are no better role models for the students and grads we serve than leadership like Jennifer and those we feature daily through this newsletter.
