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A passion for justice

Early graduate pursuing career in legal field after obtaining criminal justice degree

By California State University, Bakersfield

December 7^th, 2021

California State University, Bakersfield student Jose Hernandez has long known that he wants a career that makes a difference.

Growing up, he was inspired by TV shows such as “CSI” and “Criminal Minds” and knew he wanted to work in the justice system. Now, Hernandez is on the cusp of achieving his dream. He is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice this month.

“It’s really exciting. I’ve worked my whole life to get to this moment,” he said. “I can’t wait to see what comes next.”

Hernandez is graduating this fall after only three years of education at CSUB. However, being an early graduate was a happy accident rather than something he was aiming for from the beginning.

Last year, Hernandez’s adviser told him he was ahead on units and that he could graduate a year early if he took a class during the summer. Hernandez opted to try for it and received enough credits to be able to graduate this year.

“It just kind of hit me out of nowhere that I’m going to be graduating early,” he said. “It feels good, but it does sometimes feel kind of overwhelming.”

Hernandez participated in the early graduate recognition celebration in November and will also be participating in the Dec. 16 commencement ceremony.

“We applaud the efforts of our students and share in their excitement as they make it to the CSUB finish line,” said Dr. Kallee McCullough, assistant professor of criminal justice and one of Hernandez’s instructors. “Working while pursuing a college degree like many of our students, Jose proved that with careful planning and diligence, it is possible to graduate early. Today, we celebrate his success! I am certain Jose's future will be as bright as his presence was in the classroom.”

'Pride and joy'

Graduation is a major milestone not only for Hernandez personally but for his relatives as well, as he is the first of his immediate family to graduate from college. Across the university, 64% of students are the first in their family to pursue a bachelor’s degree.

Hernandez said his mother, Fatima Hernandez, attended college but dropped out to take care of her son after she became pregnant. His father did not attend college.

“It feels really good to know that I get to graduate not only for myself but for my parents too,” he said.

Fatima and her husband are both elated and proud of their son for reaching graduation.

“We feel pride and joy to see him accomplish something that we were unable to do,” she said. “It’s huge for our immediate family that he’s the first. He’s such a great role model to his sister and other family and friends.”

Jose said his parents value education and encouraged him to go to college. However, he didn’t feel like he was being pressured to do so.

“They’ve always pushed education on me since I was little. They always made sure I had good grades and did my homework,” he said. “I wanted to do this not just for them but for myself, because they taught me the importance of knowledge and higher education.”

Fatima said she believes education is important because it will lead to greater opportunities for her children.

“Education was extremely important for me to instill into my children,” she said. “It’s such an important piece of your life that you can pass that on. Nobody can take your education away, no matter what happens. It was important for us to keep [Jose] and his sister on the right path so they can reach their goals.”

Facilitating change

As a child, Jose Hernandez had his mind set on a career in law enforcement, picturing himself as a police officer or an agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“It seemed exciting to me,” he said. “I never saw myself working an office job, sitting down and doing the same thing every day. I always told myself I wanted a job that would be exciting where I would do something new every day and could make a difference. For me, law enforcement was that job.”

That plan changed, however, when he began taking criminal justice courses at CSUB.

“They just opened my eyes to a whole other world of criminal justice and how criminal justice works,” he said. “Not only does the program teach you about corrections and policing, it’s also about the legal aspect. It really encompasses the entire criminal justice system here in the U.S.”

The social justice movement that arose following the death of George Floyd last year was also a period of reflection for Hernandez, who ultimately determined that what he really wants is to pursue a career as a lawyer.

“It really made me realize that the legal structure in this nation is not good. The criminal justice system has many flaws,” he said. “I realized that if there was going to be any systemic change, it probably isn’t going to come from the law enforcement side. It isn’t going to come from the inside — it will have to be external change.”

While Hernandez isn’t sure what kind of lawyer he wants to be yet, he wants to be able to help his community, something that his mother is very proud of.

“He has a clear vision of giving back to his community, being able to bring justice to so many individuals who don’t have that opportunity,” Fatima said. “It’s something that he feels very passionate about, and I’m so happy that he does.”

Jose is already pursuing jobs in the legal field. He has applied to the County of Kern for an investigative aide position at the District Attorney’s office.

While he is currently focused on his life after CSUB, Hernandez said he will miss the campus.

“It feels very comfortable being there. I felt very welcomed and appreciated how anyone would be willing to help you out,” he said.

Jose Hernandez poses for a photo with his parents during his graduation from South High School in 2018.

Jose Hernandez poses for a photo with his sister, mother and father during his graduation from South High School in 2018.

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Footnotes

Story by Joseph Luiz, writer/marketing and communications specialist; photos contributed by Jose Hernandez

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FootNotes

Story by Joseph Luiz, writer/marketing and communications specialist; photos contributed by Jose Hernandez

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A passion for justice

Early graduate pursuing career in legal field after obtaining criminal justice degree

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