Leslie Hernández
Leslie Hernández arrived in the United States from Delicias, Chihuahua, Mexico on her fourth birthday. After a couple years at the New Mexico Preschool for the Blind, she entered the Albuquerque Public Schools, whose Program for the Blind and Visually Impaired at Zia Elementary helped her with Orientation and Mobility skills, along with academics. While a student in the V.I. program, she was also a student in Zia’s dual-language program, where she excelled in English and in Spanish, learning to read and write in Braille in both languages. Her bilingual education culminated in the placement of the prestigious state and the district bilingual seals on her high school diploma. As a DACA student, entering the university presented new challenges. Dauntless, Leslie overcame those challenges and graduated from University of New Mexico, where she majored in Special Education and received her state teaching license in Special Education.