Hi All! My name is Celia Hernandez and I am a Sophomore Psychology Major with a double minor in Sociology and Children’s Studies at Illinois State University. With this degree, I am interested in pursuing school psychology or child psychology I am the oldest and I have two younger brothers named Alex and David. I am from Peoria, IL which is about an hour away from ISU which played a major factor in why I chose ISU. Being a first-generation student has had its difficulties from figuring out how in the world to do FAFSA, what is needed for a college dorm, how to make friends, what’s the best way to study, and recently how do you even start the process of graduate school? This is why I am so thankful I chose a University that is kind of close to home so I can be around my family whenever I get homesick and I chose a University that values me as a student! Anytime I have questions about a class or how to navigate internships and jobs my professors have all been available to help and answer any questions I may have about a certain topic. This has been extremely helpful as a first-generation student and I can’t recommend enough reaching out anytime you are struggling in any way to advisors or professors, they are more than willing to help you. At ISU I am involved in the Badminton club, A Just Brew (which is a nonprofit coffee shop that raises money to help prevent slavery), I am a new member of Epsilon Sigma Alpha and I am a Tour Guide in the Office of Admissions! My first semester of college was filled with excitement and bewilderment. Constant thoughts of “this is my life, woah” and “oh my gosh how cool” filled my brain and made college just such an amazing experience. All in all my first year of college I really just struggled with getting acclimated to classes and creating a study schedule but there was also the social aspect of trying to make friends and I think that getting involved in clubs and getting a job as a tour guide really pushed me to put myself out there. As I entered my second year in college I went in feeling great socially because all of my friends were back on campus but academically with everything being online was definitely a challenge because I am a very hands-on learner and being put into this new learning environment was extremely stressful, to say the least, but I am happy to say that we all made it through the zoom calls and awkward breakout rooms learning more about ourselves. I am extremely excited to see what next semester will bring both socially and academically and I can’t wait to take you all on the journey with me!
