Background: oldest of five children of Mexican immigrants Work history: construction, Emergency Medical Technician Prior to UCSF: fire science at a community college, UCSB, French in Lyon

Growing up on the East side of the San Francisco Bay as the oldest of five children of Mexican immigrants, the idea of going to medical school didn't even occur to Juan Hernandez. In high school, he felt he was just "cruising", and he "saw the military as the only option to get out of San Lorenzo."

When he was disqualified because of his asthma, Juan first worked in construction with his wrestling coach, then he started studying fire science at a community college. With his hulking physique, a career as a fire fighter seemed a viable option. In preparation for the academy, he worked as an Emergency Medical Technician for an ambulance service and later in the ER at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Hayward. He thrived in the emergency room – he loved working there so much, he would constantly volunteer for double shifts. "I wanted the responsibility, I wanted to be there for people in their time of need." The realization hit him that he wanted to become a doctor.

At first, he kept the thought to himself. "My parents came from a rural area in Mexico. They didn’t know the American education system. Like many immigrant parents, they were both working all the time, trying to make money for their children. My mom was working two jobs when I was growing up. She didn’t even know what SATs were. But she always believed in me. She thinks I can do anything."

Yet UCSF seemed daunting at first, "one of those schools where you think you’ll never get in." But when Juan was chosen as one of only 10 people in California for an undergrad prep program between his junior and senior years in college, he gained the confidence he needed to pursue his goal.

In between finishing his undergrad studies at UC Santa Barbara, Juan went to France through a language and culture program co-sponsored by the University of Lyon and UC. He had taken French in high school and college, but realized soon that "in the real world, they speak a lot faster." Happily, the people in Lyon were "very patient." He looks back fondly to his months there, remembering the home-cooked French food he ate every night with his host family and traveling with them around the South of France.

As a medical student, Juan tries to be a role model for his younger brothers and sisters, but hopes they will pursue whatever they dream of. While his brothers followed his footsteps as wrestlers, his sisters are college-bound, and "they are happy to see me where I am."