Aurora Hernandez, RN, is a staff nurse and also is enrolled in an RN-to-BSN program at Georgetown University where she plans to graduate in 2003. A former president of the National Student Nurses' Association, Aurora decided to continue her education at Georgetown after receiving an associate degree in nursing at Minneapolis Community College in Minnesota.

Aurora believes completing a graduate program in nursing will help her reach a career goal of providing health care to migrant workers. She decided on this path after growing up in Texas as a child of migrant workers. During the growing season, she often accompanied her family to many different states and personally experienced the struggles migrant workers encounter to get health care.

"I have seen first-hand the lack of health care, language barriers, and the lack of trust that migrant workers often experience when accessing health care," Aurora said. "I would like to focus my nursing career on improving the health of the migrant farmworker population."

Aurora believes her experiences will help her make a great difference in the lives of these people. In addition to improving the lives of migrant workers, nursing gives her the opportunity to teach in the migrant community, serve as a role model and advocate for the migrant and Latino population.

As a result of her ambitious career goals, Aurora has attracted attention from various publications and organizations. She has been featured in various nursing publications including American Journal of Nursing, Minority Nurse and American Nurse. She also has been a speaker before the American Nursing Association House of Delegates and the National Student Nurses' Association House of Delegates.