Martha Edith Hernández has the name and looks of an actress- with her blue eyes and blond hair, this güerita could have easily been the female lead of the eight o’clock telenovela. If you add her resilient and determined personality, then you have all the ingredients of a superstar.

However, Martha Edith is already a luminary in her own right.  After her acceptance to UC Berkeley, she had to confront two obstacles – the disapproval of her mother for going against tradition and the ignorance of a particular high school teacher.  Her mother (que es chapada a la antigua) initially disagreed with her decision to go to college and thus stopped talking to her daughter.   Thankfully,  mamá realized the many benefits and opportunities that higher education would bring to her daughter and happily resumed communication with Martha Edith.

Her teacher Mr. Wilson, however, was a different story.  When she was accepted to college her male teacher told her in front of the entire class that she would drop out and fail for two reasons: first she’s  “ a Latina” and second, “a woman.”  For Martha Edith, this statement was the catalyst for her success.   She wanted to prove Mr. Wilson wrong y le echo muchas ganas while at Cal.  Such effort proved more than fruitful.  Martha Edith graduated early and with honors!  Take that Mr. Wilson – !lero, lero!

Martha Edith currently works as a project manager for Peterson Power, Caterpillar Inc. where she is in charge of over 12 websites and all of its marketing channels – from Google AdWords to Facebook.  She is also a member of various  Latino business organizations and is also active in community service activities.

Thankfully for the Latino community, this effervescent pachanguera has forgotten not her struggles.  Instead, she has turned it into a project – to promote higher education to Latino students and their parents, especially among female students who are struggling to reconcile their family’s patriarchal machista traditions with their own academic dreams.  This is definitely a wise Latina on a mission!

So, in an alternate universe, Martha Edith is as famous as Thalia and she is on the cover of People en Español. But in this reality, she is a local LAMista with a magnetic presence and an unparalleled drive.   We hope to be witnesses of your continued success, Martha Edith!

By being member of the month, she will receive VIP entrance for the rest of the year and get two free drinks at our next event.

If you believe you or someone you know merits recognition, please send an email to info@latinosamorir.com with the subject line titled ‘Member of the Month’. In the body, please answer the following questions (keep answers short and informational):

- Name of nominee
- Previous/Current accomplishment(s)
- Community involvement story
- Number of LAM events attended (rough estimate OK)
- A biography of nominee (where born, grew up, profession, family, anything else interesting)
- Project they would like to promote during their feature (for example, if Giovanni, the founder of LAM, would be featured in a magazine, he would like to promote Latinos A Morir)