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Class Notes
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: Belinda Hernandez (CRJHS ’00)
Belinda Hernandez graduated from Cristo Rey Jesuit High School at the top of her class. With a near-perfect GPA (she only received one A- while at Cristo Rey!); she entered Loyola University Chicago on a full-tuition, academic scholarship. Like most high school students, the transition from high school to college was challenging for Belinda. “I really had no idea of what the environment would be like… At Cristo Rey, I was able to develop the extroverted side of my personality. However, I was intimidated by how many bright kids there were at Loyola!” Belinda eventually found her calling and majored in Social Work after being “completely positive that I would be pre-med and become a pediatrician.”
Majoring in social work opened up many doors for Belinda. “I ended up going to several places around the country on service trips. I also went to Ecuador my senior year [in college]. During this time, I worked at several social service agencies and some research projects.”
Belinda graduated from Loyola University Chicago in 2004 and took up the post of Social Service Coordinator at an independent senior living facility. After a year of being in the workforce, Belinda entered graduate school and began research focusing on child welfare. She truly embodies Cristo Rey’s mantra of shaping women and men for others, as her research led her to develop a teaching curriculum for child welfare workers in Illinois. She presented her findings along with the lead investigator at the National Association of Social Workers Illinois Chapter Conference. “Midway through my graduate school experience, I got married and had my first daughter, Natalia.” |
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