Born in Brownsville, Texas, one of
the southernmost points of the
United States – Mexico border, I
have always had a connection with my
Mexican heritage. When I was only two years old,
my parents moved from Brownsville to Dallas in
order to pursue their snow cone business. Named
after my brother’s and my initials, MC Snow Cones
was the representation of hope for my family to find
success in the unique opportunities that Dallas
presented, and Brownsville lacked; the main goal
for my parents was always to provide my brother
and me with the best education in order to give us
the tools to reach our own success.
Since I was a little girl, my parents have always
instilled in me that the most important thing besides
family, is education. I have always known that
college was the next step after high school and that
one of the most important decisions I would ever
make would be choosing a university. As a senior in
high school, it seemed almost impossible to choose
a university because I could not narrow down a
major and therefore could not choose the college
with the best program for that major.
At first, I chose to attend Southern Methodist
University because of its law school with the
intention of becoming a lawyer. However, as first
semester of freshman year passed by, along with
my first experience with college classes, I realized
that I was enjoying Calculus class more than
Political Science, and abruptly decided to switch my
major to Accounting and to add a Spanish minor. I
added the Spanish minor in order to expand my
vocabulary and perfect my Spanish overall, which
ended up leading me to an internship at LATINA
Style.
Here, I gained all the skills I hoped to acquire
through a Spanish minor: a larger vocabulary,
correct grammar, etc. Even further, I was able to
obtain a great amount of professional experience
through being in contact with numerous large and
influential companies and through attending one of
their many informational business conferences. One
of the reasons I found it easy to make the most
of this internship, was due to the Latin culture
embedded in the office and staff, which allowed me
to feel immensely comfortable in the office.
Carolina Hernández. October 2018.
Dallas, TX.
High school graduation with Fran Bartke.
Faustina Academy, Irving, TX. May 2017.
Still, I struggled with my decision to switch my
major to Accounting. I thought this choice was based
on information too superficial to be sure that it was
the right decision because all I knew about
Accounting, at that point, was that it was a
math-based system that kept track of financial
records. However, since then, I have joined Alpha
Kappa Psi, SMU’s premier business fraternity, in
which I have learned a great deal about the
business world and Accounting in particular.
I am also currently taking my first Accounting
class, which has greatly boosted my confidence in
Carolina with her brother Manuel
Hernández in San Francisco, CA.
December 2014.
my major because the material comes quite
naturally to me. The reason I highlight these
experiences is because I came to SMU with a
completely different plan (major) than the one I am
currently pursuing. SMU was without a doubt the
right choice for me; it seems as if fate brought me
here considering I initially came for its great law
school, but stayed for its even better business
school.
My decision to attend Southern Methodist
University was one of the best decisions I’ve ever
made. SMU has helped me grow in so many ways,
including my ambition, knowledge, and self-discipline.
As for my culture, I keep my Latin roots close
through my family. Although they are not in college
with me, our Spanish fueled phone calls, annual trips
to Brownsville, and what seems like a lifetime
supply of tamales always bring me back home. LS
Want to comment or have any questions on
this article? Email us at info@latinastyle.com
Mexic
College Beat
My Journey as a Latina at SMU
By Carolina Hernández
Expected graduation date: May 2021
44 www.latinastyle.com LATINAStyle Vol. 25, No. 3, 2019
/www.latinastyle.com
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