Jasmine Hernandez (12) is currently a Senior at Santiago High School and enjoys taking her dogs on walks throughout her neighborhood. 

Jasmine began her journey in high school unaware of what she wanted. She picked up the saxophone after deciding that she wanted to play a happy birthday tune for her mother’s birthday. After reaching her goal, she decided to run for the gold medal and join her school’s track and field and cross country team. These experiences fueled her craving to explore what else was out there. One day, she discovered that her school newspaper and was suddenly motivated to learn to write. She figured that with good writing skills, she could document how fun and exciting her memories in music and track were.

 She used to be a reader, but now she writes her own stories. This change of self occurred when her brother set up an interview at Wendy’s for her. Uncomfortable and self-doubting, she felt the need to hold her brother’s hand throughout the process. However, after being forced into the interview unprepared, she realized that his hand wouldn’t always be there. She realized that she needed to think for herself.

She began thinking independently by planning her career goals. She decided to become a doctor. This idea was manifested when she saw a fundraiser for cancer patients at her Wendy’s front desk. She explored her goal by visiting patients at the hospital. 

Throughout her life, Jasmine understood the feeling of being lost and isolated. As a doctor for cancer treatment, she’ll understand how her patients may feel hopeless or unmotivated in life. Through routine check-ups and visits, Jasmine hopes to form a strong bond and connection with her patients. She hopes to pass on the lessons learned throughout her experiences as a way to give her patients a sense of direction.