3/12/2021 Maddie Yang
Written by Maddie Yang
Jose Hernandez, a junior in the MechSE department, was recently named one of 12 Knights of St. Patrick for 2021.
The Knights of St. Patrick is an honor awarded to students who demonstrate leadership characteristics, excellence of character, and exceptional contribution to the Grainger College of Engineering. The award originated at the University of Missouri, Columbia, where students claimed St. Patrick must have been an engineer to have been able to drive all the snakes from Ireland, and since then has represented excellence in engineering fields.
Hernandez originally started as a freshman in pre-engineering, trying to study mechanical engineering. “It was definitely tough because I had initial expectations that didn’t really happen. It was one of those big learning experiences,” he said. Hernandez said he felt discouraged at first and experienced “imposter syndrome,” that he didn’t belong. “There have been a few rock bottom moments where I questioned whether engineering was for me, or whether I had a chance of getting into mechanical, but I was able to get past that and not only survive, but thrive.”
When Hernandez arrived at Illinois, he made a strong effort to be more outgoing and joined the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). “They had a new member roundtable, and I was extremely active and involved in that. I loved attending events, whether it was academic-related, professional, or more social.”
As he continued through his education he began to feel more comfortable. “It was really a matter of shifting the question from ‘Can I do it?’ to ‘How will I do it?’ A lot of it is perception and mindset, which are things that can change.”
Hernandez eventually ran for leadership roles within SHPE and is currently the internal vice president, where he runs the new member round table he enjoyed so much as a new member.
Through SHPE and his struggles freshman year, Hernandez found a passion for helping new students feel comfortable in an unfamiliar college environment. Besides working on the New Member Round Table for SHPE, Hernandez works as a Calc III tutor through CARE and is an Engineering Learning Assistant, teaching engineering undeclared students. “I like being there for others and being a resource to bridge the gap of opportunity.”
Hernandez also has a strong interest in the aerospace industry, which was inspired by discovering an astronaut with the same name as him and whose birthday is the day after his. “I got to connect with him on LinkedIn; I sent him a message and we had a conversation about what it takes to be an astronaut and wished each other happy birthday!” Since then, Hernandez has worked at Boeing as a structural engineer and plans to work there again next summer.
Congratulations to all of the Knights this year!
- Jose Hernandez, MechSE
- Thomas Romanchek, BioE
- Vongai Tizora, BioE
- Amanda Hsu, ECE
- Nina Chatrath, ABE
- Emily Williams, AE
- Tommy Carver, CS
- Mia Ko, BioE
- Ashley Mitchell, BioE
- Amanda Batista, ChBE
- Berat Gulecyuz, BioE
- Courtney Leverenz, AE