Brendelyn Hernandez was borned and raised in Guatemala. She stopped attending school at the age of 12 years old due to the violence, lack of resources and cultural perspectives on women’s education. She was 17 when she immigrated with her mother and four siblings to New Orleans, Louisiana. At 18, she began public high school in California, where she developed her English speaking skills and was able to communicate better with students and teachers. She is a graduate of Mills College with a major in Child Development and a minor in Spanish and Spanish-American Studies.

As an immigrant student, Brendelyn is passionate about advocating for women’s bilingual education in schools both here in the U.S. and Guatemala. Brendelyn strongly believes that everyone should have the right to education despite their age, gender and religion, but especially women and young girls. Growing up in Guatemala taught her to value education, because not everyone has the privilege to attend. In the future, Brendelyn wants to create a non-profit organization that provides resources for young girls in Guatemala to access education. She also wants to continue with her education in order to become an elementary teacher.

As a DreamSF Fellow, Brendelyn is placed at Refugee & Immigrant Transitions. This non-profit in San Francisco provides free education, family engagement, and community leadership programs for immigrant students.

Due to her father immigrating when she was five years old, Brendelyn has learned to appreciate the time she spends with her family and husband. She loves listening to music, singing, and watching movies. She also hopes to learn how to play the guitar.