Veronica Hernandez

Veronica has received numerous awards that have provided her with some unique opportunities to learn and do research. She is a Hispanic Scholarship Fund Scholar, and also earned entry into the UC San Diego Summer Training Academy for Research Success (STARS) Program. The following year she was invited to participate in the highly competitive Howard Hughes Medical Institute Janelia-Meyerhoff Undergraduate Scholar program, another paid summer program for students interested in neuroscience and biology research.

Throughout her tenure at John Muir College she has been a PATHS Scholar, and she received the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students Outstanding Presentation Award at their annual conference. It was titled “Synaptic Changes in Mice Brains During Learning as Observed by Protein Turnover.” She currently volunteers at the Real Memory Laboratory in the Department of Neurosciences as an Undergraduate Research Assistant as well as the BRAIN Laboratory in the Department of Psychiatry.     

Veronica has found time to serve as Funds Director for Active Minds at UC San Diego, and will be co-president in the fall. This student organization focuses on mental health awareness. She is also a program coordinator with the Underrepresented First Generation Minority Initiative, which, among other things, helps high school students navigate their college applications. She is also involved with Breaking Bread, the Symphonic Student Association and the Psi Chi Honor Society/Psychology Club.

None of this has come easily, however. Since the age of seven, she and her mother and brothers have moved frequently, including between the U.S. and Mexico. However, she believes that her difficult experiences have “made me resilient; no matter what happens, I always bounce back.” She is determined to earn a PhD and become a clinical neuropsychologist.