Francia Hernandez, a graduating senior, has always held an interest in finance, her major. Both of her parents are business owners, and from a young age, she would give her parents and other family members loans out of her piggybank – with 60% interest.

Hernandez grew up in the bordertown of El Paso, Texas and Cuidad Juarez, Mexico. There, she went to El Paso High School, which she describes as “one of, if not the most, beautiful high school in the nation. If you don’t believe me, look it up!”

After graduating from El Paso High School, she came to Texas Wesleyan. Hernandez is a first-generation college student, which she says is a “driving force to me getting this degree for [my] parents.”

Texas Wesleyan took a very special place in my heart as soon as I stepped on campus back in 2016,” Hernandez said. “Most of my time at Texas Wesleyan was spent meeting so many incredible people with many different backgrounds and stories. I loved every single minute of it.”

When she isn’t attending classes, doing schoolwork or working as a legal administrative assistant at Morton Law, Hernandez enjoys going to the gym and working out, mostly lifting heavy weights.

“It makes me feel super strong, and I enjoy the empowering feeling I get after I’m done,” Hernandez said.

One of her major goals is to help future college students with their financial decisions and to assist others in being able to afford to attend college.

“I would like to help other first-time students like myself be able to better manage their finances and not see higher education as something that is unobtainable,” Hernandez explains.

Last year, she worked for TCC, mainly with college access and community outreach, where she began to realize her goal.

“Basically, I got to see how a lot of students don’t see college as something tangible because their parents or siblings don’t really know about the financial resources available! It’s super crazy,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez doesn’t have concrete plans for her life after graduation, but she has plenty of options and goals in mind, and she seems open and prepared for anything. Graduate school is a possibility, but her current job seems like it could offer her another potential path.

“My whole life has been a bit spontaneous, and I don’t think life after graduating will be any different,” Hernandez explains. “As with my degree, one of my biggest goals is to hopefully use it on a financial board in a higher education institution. But for now, I am working for an immigration law firm and want to see where that takes me.”

Story by Christian Gaffner