Kashmira Shree Thapa, Contributing Writer
Dr. Frank Hernandez is a professor who is always motivated to help his students be the best versions of themselves; his students love him for what and how he is.
Hernandez, a retired Air Force veteran with a degree in business administration, served 26 years in the Air Force and retired in 2005. In 2015, he accepted a position as an adjunct professor and stated his life has improved in ways he could have never anticipated.
“Initially, I felt lost from 2005 to 2014,” Hernandez said. “I worked in a couple of jobs searching for a new meaning and purpose in my life, with no luck.”
Saint Leo University has become his home away from home; the people on campus have become his family, and he treats them like one. He says this university has impacted his entire family. His wife is currently teaching in the College of Education and Social Services, his daughter taught in the psychology department, and his son is a doctoral student in the criminal justice program.
“Dr. Hernandez does more than just teach, he connects with his class and takes care of all his students, and genuinely cares for them and their well-being. That is why learning with him has been an absolute pleasure, and I know that I can always count on him,” Paspulat said. Shashiraj Paspulat is one of his students who is currently studying at Saint Leo University pursuing his master’s degree.
“You will never be bored and sleepy in his class, even it is for three hours,” Paspulat said. “He is always there to help us with any questions we may have, and if he does not know the answer, he will make sure he explores it and gets back to you with a response.”
Hernandez gives his students all that he can and pushes his comfort zone to make his students at ease. Many of his students have claimed to feel blessed to have him as their mentor. If a student is going through any sort of problem and seeks guidance, Hernandez is someone they can rely on; students find him to have a heart of gold.
His relationship with his students does not end when they graduate. He has always told his students that the classroom was the vehicle that God used to put us in one another’s lives. If the students were to invite him to important events like graduations from subsequent schools, weddings, or the birth of their child, he will be there. To that end, Hernandez has attended previous students’ Baptisms, Confirmation, wedding, and graduation from law school in Houston, Texas.
“My wife and I travel to these events because these students have become important parts of my life, whether they know it or not, they fill a void in our lives because our children are grown and gone, so they have become like our children,” he said.
Hernandez recently began teaching in the master of business administration (MBA) program, and he has found a new family in this program. Most of his students are international students with different problems from his traditional students.
“They are adjusting to a new program in a new school in a new country,” he added. Hernandez said he is doing his best to ease the transition of his international students. He wants them to find a home away from their home, at Saint Leo University, just like he has.
Hernandez has a charismatic aura that makes any individual attracted to his graciousness. Professors like him are the reason international students feel comfortable even though they are miles away from home.
