Fellow:María José Hernández Sánchez

María José Hernández Sánchez is a University Innovation Fellow who majors in both Civil and Environmental Engineering with a minor on Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences and another one in Development Studies at Universidad de los Andes.

Mjh300.jpeg

María José, grew up in a small town in La Guajira, Colombia; where she always stood out among her high school peer for academics, leadership, sports, community work, among other activities. Since a very young age her work lead her to be the passionate and persistent young women she is today.

After high school she took a sabbatical year in Europe, to experience for the first-time life on her own and to face the fears leaving her home meant. Coming back with a suitcase full of fulfilled dreams she began her studies in Bogotá, Colombia, a city that she now calls home. A key factor in her life has always been the contrast between the life she´s been able to live so far away from the reality our country faces in regards of poverty, resources, and sanitation; therefore she wishes to one day be able to say her work as an engineer improved the life of at least one family; for her no one should ever take for granted something that seems so simple as a glass of clean water.

Her desire to be a more valuable member of her community has led her to be to chief of communications in the Civil and Environmental Engineering student chapter, promoting awareness on environmental issues and leading crowd funding campaigns. On the other hand, she also works hard to be a better person for herself, her academic efforts has given her the opportunity to assist emeritus teachers in the Statics, Materials and Fluid mechanics course.

She enjoys spending time with her friends, facetiming her family, reading, travelling and playing the saxophone. When she is asked to summarize her life goal, she will always say her biggest challenge is to be coherent across the board.