Background
11th grader, Nancy Hernandez, wants to help.
She explains, “I always think about being able to help. Helping others is always going to make a difference. Having the privilege to help has always been my motivation [to do more]. My mom is also my biggest motivation!”
Nancy and her family reside in Salt Lake City’s west side neighborhoods where they consistently received support and experienced a community coming together through the network of many west side resident leaders.
Some of her biggest supporters include Alma Yanagui, a UNP Community Organizer who has worked in the west side for more than 20 years. Coach Juan, the founder of Hartland Community 4 Youth & Families (HC4Y&F), a grassroots non-profit organization that is family-driven and community-oriented to address the needs of Salt Lake County’s underserved and underrepresented populations. Lastly, Laneta Fitisemanu, of Voices for Utah Children, who is actively involved in several community organizations and initiatives like the Samoana Integrated Learning Initiative (SAILI).
Nancy shared that her mom had always been very community oriented and would frequently attend local activities with free food in their neighborhood. It was at these events that they were introduced to Alma and the Utah Community Advocate Network (UCAN). UCAN is a partnership with rich history over the past 18 years that emerged from the collaboration between the University of Utah’s Family School Partnership. This partnership collaborates with families and educators to provide multiple opportunities for university students to work alongside historically marginalized families and youth to identify educational needs and collectively resolve issues. This group has created a space where university students connect with families to work toward transforming schools into places where all students can be successful.
At their first UCAN meeting Nancy and her family learned about the Introduction to Family-School Engagement course. It was the following summer, after completing 8th grade, that Nancy was able to attend the course for herself and received college credit! Since that time, she has never missed a UCAN meeting and as a result never missed an opportunity to continue her education.
Advocacy & Leadership
In 2023 the opportunity arose to partner with the Climate of Hope (COH). This collaborative effort was made between The Natural History Museum of Utah (NHMU) , HC4Y&F and UNP. Their mission centered community voices of west side residents to build community-based research practices, help community interests and needs drive the mission of the NHMU, strengthen ties between NHMU and the west side, and build new community capacity through shared resources for climate action, education, and communication.
UNP recommended Nancy to be part of the project, and she was later invited to sit on the board; the only teenager on the board. She also joined the group on their trip to the Natural History Museum in Oregon.
Nancy reminisces on the opportunity, “It was really cool being the only teenager and knowing that they wanted to hear from me and share my perspective.”
That same year UCAN attended several conferences in Utah that brought up topics like safety in schools, which then invited the idea of a high school in Glendale. Nancy mentions meeting a lot of people during her 9th grade cohort for the Family-School Engagement course where the conversation about a high school in Glendale resurface once again.
Nancy recalls sharing her thoughts about attending East High School, “It sucks that it is so far. I’m scared to be so far away from all my Glendale people.”
Other west side youth advocates also began to share their experience at East High School. Through it all, Alma was always there to listen to the challenges families were facing. Nancy began sharing her initiatives through social media posts, suggested by her AP Geography teacher. Later, Nancy had the opportunity to meet and speak with the Superintendent of the Salt Lake City School District, Elizabeth Grant, at a school district board meeting. This particular meeting took place at Franklin Elementary School with UCAN leading the way.
She recalls, “We spoke about how frustrated we were because they were listening but not ACTUALLY listening to what we wanted. A lot of communities wanted this to work out. I was happy to have had the privilege to speak with the superintendent and use my voice to advocate.
I mentioned how I was isolated; I was probably the only Mexican in my class. It was hard to connect with teachers [at East High], they didn’t understand my background as much as they understood my white classmates.”
Voices for Utah Children
In the 10th grade Nancy’s American Prep Academy teacher recognized her dedication and mentioned the Voices award. It is a scholarship opportunity for Utah high school juniors and seniors that are making an impact in their community, hosted by Voices for Utah Children. Alma nominated Nancy, mentioning all her achievements, but most importantly her drive to help her community.
Alma shared, “Nancy is the perfect example of what Youth Leadership should look like in our community. It gives me hope to know she is already a leader for our future generation.”
Laneta added, “Decisions made today directly impact the futures of our youth. That’s why it’s more important than ever for young people to speak up and get involved in their communities. Even without the ability to vote, their voices matter. Students like Nancy, who take action to make a difference, are already learning what it means to understand and influence the decisions shaping their future. This is what youth leadership looks like, and we need more of it.”
The UNP network is honored to work with such bright youth. Partnerships and collaborative projects are how engagement work creates leaders, supports communities, and erases barriers to education. Nancy is just one example of the leadership and advocacy work that drive our youth to create their own path to success.
When asked about her goals, Nancy says, “I want to help people in a bigger way – I want to be their doctor! My plan is to do my 4 years [of undergraduate school], take the MCAT, and go into ophthalmology (study of the eye) or pediatrics and complete my residency in Kenya.”
Nancy will be joining the International Volunteer Headquarters team as they travel to Kenya this summer to provide English education to youth in the area. Nancy has also been recognized with a Lieutenant Governor’s Volunteer Recognition Certificate, is a current scholarship recipient for the Utah Young Humanitarian Award and a current co-chair for the Hartland Coming Together [Resident] Committee.