Melodi Hernandez

Melodi was born in Santa Maria, CA, and raised across multiple cities in Mexico before returning to the U.S. at 14 with the goal of pursuing higher education in the sciences. That is how, in 2023, she began studying chemistry at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she was offered the opportunity to become a peer mentor for organic chemistry.

She found herself falling in love with the subject, but more importantly, she discovered a passion for teaching and helping students connect with key resources for their success. Melodi hopes to build a career as a professor, driven by a desire to create meaningful social impact through mentorship and advocacy for underrepresented students. To achieve this goal, she is currently working on building the foundation for graduate school through oceanography research in the Moreno Lab at UC Santa Cruz, while also exploring organic chemistry research with the Gutierrez Group.