Scholarship helps Joel Reyes Hernandez build a new future in the United States.
Joel Reyes Hernandez was studying and working hard, with no plans to leave his native Dominican Republic. But a vicious late night assault by two men on a motorcycle changed everything.
“I was knocked to the ground, and I couldn’t understand why this was happening to me,” he said. “It was the worst day of my life. I felt so vulnerable, so fragile, so unprotected, just for being gay.”
Hernandez, deciding he was no longer safe in the country he’d lived in for almost three decades, arrived in the United States in August 2020 seeking asylum. After more than a year of hard work
adjusting to a different language and culture, he decided he was ready to return to the classroom.
“I decided to continue my education, even though I knew it would not be easy for me,” he said. “I started the process, and from the first time I walked into GRCC, I felt I belong here.”
Hernandez’s new start meant challenges in the classroom and hard work the rest of the time – all without any family guidance or support.
“I knew the experience could be a little bit more complicated for me because I was not eligible for financial assistance due to my immigration status,” he said. “So I started to work more hours, and there was a moment when I was working three part-time jobs and attending school full time.”
But just as he wondered whether he could keep going, help arrived.
Sarah Rose, director of the college’s Occupational Support program, told him about scholarship opportunities with the GRCC Foundation.
“Receiving the Grand Rapids Community College Foundation Scholarship gave me a feeling of relief,” Hernandez said. “This has been a huge plus in my life. I feel powerful and able to achieve everything I want in life.”
After receiving his associate degree, Hernandez plans to transfer to the University of Michigan and pursue a bachelor’s degree in sociology. Serving on GRCC’s Student Advisory Council increased an interest in mental health.
“We’re so excited to work together and develop programs and tools to create awareness about mental health,” Hernandez said of the council. “It’s OK to not feel OK, but sometimes we can’t solve the situation by ourselves, and it is time to ask for help.
“I want to be supportive to anyone who is struggling in life and let them know that hope is at the end of the way.”
“Receiving the GRCC Foundation Scholarship gave me a feeling of relief,” Hernandez said. “This has been a huge plus in my life. I feel powerful and able to achieve everything I want in life.”
Joel Reyes Hernandez