STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: JAMES HERNANDEZ

Student Spotlight: James Hernandez

Program Learning & Cognition Ph.D.

Hometown Celebration, Florida

When did you first discover your passion for your field? Tell us more about your background in education.

My background in education began with my first substitute teaching appointment. I was filling in for a classroom of fifth graders who had not had a permanent teacher for the entire first quarter. I was only supposed to be at this Title I school for one week, but I stayed for three years, becoming a certified teacher and “Mr. H.” To my knowledge, I still hold the title of Fastest Fifth Grader on the Playground.

Next, I became a college advisor and worked with students on enrollment, financial aid, academic advising, career advising and graduation. I actually assisted one of my former fifth grade students’ parents with getting into college. While advising, I continued to substitute teach at a local middle school. I also tutored elementary-aged children and college students.

What made you choose FSU and the learning and cognition program?

I chose FSU’s learning and cognition program because I made a promise to my fifth graders. I promised them that by the time they were students in college, I would also be teaching in college. In fall 2021, my first class of fifth graders will be incoming college freshmen and I am on track to teach my first college-level course. Who knows if I might see some familiar faces?

FSU’s learning and cognition program was the only graduate program I applied to. At my first visit, I recognized this program had the right mix of faculty, staff and students. Because the learning and cognition program is a part of FSU’s College of Education, there are a wide variety of resources preparing me

for my career. First, through my coursework, I am gaining a strong understanding of educational psychology with the flexibility to supplement the core coursework with certificates like measurement and statistics, college teaching and program evaluation. Additionally, in the supplemental coursework, I am learning how to practically implement education policy, leadership and finance. I am also gaining expertise in grant applications and budgeting.

As a learning and cognition student, I am also developing quantitative and qualitative research skills that enable me to identify high-quality research and educational strategies. I am also learning how to implement evidenced-based teaching practices with fidelity and conduct reliable, valid and meaningful research. Through this doctoral program, I’ve come to deeply value and support my colleagues. Therefore, I will be part of the Ph.D. employment solution by recruiting other doctoral graduates to work at a third space, which is not a university (first space) nor a lab (second space), but instead a place where they can teach and conduct their own research in partnership with universities. I am currently forging these partnerships as a member of the Fellows Society at FSU, the Florida Education Fund’s McKnight Fellowship, PURPOSE (Partners United for Research Pathways Oriented to Social Justice in Education) and the Florida Center for Reading Research. At FSU, I am also getting the experience to step out of the ivory tower and interface with key education stakeholders like policy makers, administrators, teachers, student, parents and community members. Informed by these relationships, I am utilizing education as a tool to empower everyone.

What does entrepreneurship mean to you, especially in the context of education?

Entrepreneurship is opportunity and innovation. Education in its purest form, to me, is innovatively teaching and learning. Therefore, educational entrepreneurship is the opportunity to create a self-sustaining teaching and learning experience where teachers and students are encouraged to fail fast, learn deeply and solve the unsolvable. Combining education and entrepreneurship also binds the most liberating opportunities offered in life. Being educated allows one to have the ability to freely reason and being an entrepreneur empowers one to act on their reasoning. I was an educated public school teacher, but at this school I was discouraged for acting with reason (e.g., implementing social studies in chronological order). As an entrepreneur with a Ph.D., I will be further educated with the ability to instruct teachers and students and empower them to act on their reasoning. If and when we fail, we will learn and attempt to solve the unsolvable.

What are your entrepreneurial goals post-graduation?

The learning and cognition program at FSU is preparing me to realize my entrepreneurial goal of building Lifespan Development Centers. Lifespan Development Centers are third spaces resembling schools where the community can come and clarify their interests, learn useful skills, gain meaningful experiences and produce new products and/or services. The idea for building this alternative education system comes from the need; I’ve traveled around the world, and everywhere I go and everyone I speak with is looking for resources, opportunities and experiences in which they can meaningfully participate.

There are a variety of educational environments similar to Lifespan Development Centers that also facilitate their students’ development, and Florida State University is definitely one. In addition, for children and adolescents, there are great educational environments like Wildflower Schools that has their children wear slippers to track their movement and interface with responsive cutting-edge educational technology. Even Elon Musk created a school with Josh Dahn (formerly Ad Astra, now Astra Nova School) to gamify learning. At present, I have not found a Lifespan Development Center that completely fulfills the vision for everyone throughout their lifespan. Therefore, I am working with an amazing team to create the first of many.

Lifespan Development Centers will provide an adaptive, realtime, research-based educational experience for students from birth through retirement. Adaptive learning experiences will be individualized, implementing evidenced-centered classroom assessment design that will leverage data and technology. Services will be embedded in the school, such as mental health, physical health, social support, financial literacy and career support. I am getting a Ph.D. in learning and cognition so that I can ensure the schools can implement evidenced-based practice with fidelity so that in turn, teachers and students can add to the field of knowledge through practice-based evidence.

Through FSU’s College of Education, I have been able to receive a large variety of funding that has supported my research and entrepreneurial goals. For example, I attended the National Public Radio’s How I Built This first inaugural summit in San Francisco, California. There, I learned how I could attract funding for the schools I am currently building and also how the schools can generate self-sustaining revenue.

With the advancement of artificial intelligence, it is imperative that we have institutions investing in human intelligence and overall wellbeing. Therefore, the Lifespan Development Centers will treat education as a start-up incubator investing in the research and development of human innovation.

What advice do you have for students interested in pursuing education with an entrepreneurial focus?

First, you are not alone. A big myth is that there is no money in education. Shark Tanks’ Mr. Wonderful is a great example of someone who combined education and entrepreneurship successfully. Second, get experience. When it comes to entrepreneurship and education, formal education is only to supplement and broaden your experience, not supplant it. I gained experience while working and going to school full-time and in the five years between undergraduate and graduate school. Third, remember your purpose. I might be neck-deep in research and classes, but ask anyone who knows me, I won’t stop talking about the Lifespan Development Centers. Some people are afraid of others stealing my ideas. I want them to. If someone could create the educational environment before and better than my team and I will, I would only hope they’d hire us.