Glenwood Springs native Star Hernandez’s creativity and curiosity have always pushed her to dream big. 

From the age of 4, Hernandez said, has always known how important it is to find the truth. 

“I’ve always had an innate love for education and a curiosity for the world around me,” Hernandez explained. “I can’t say there was ever a moment in my life when I fell in love with education, but it’s just always been a part of my life. 

“From being 4-years-old and pouring Nerds into my ears to test if there was a direct channel connecting my ears to doing calculus, I’ve loved all of it,” she continued. “Just like any person, I’ve struggled with certain concepts and not understood things, but I think what matters is what I did after and the determination I have to always get it right.”

The 2026 Glenwood Springs High School valedictorian closed a chapter of her life over the weekend when she addressed her class and received her diploma, though her journey is just getting started. 

Hernandez will attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the fall after earning the QuestBridge scholarship, one of the country’s most competitive scholarship programs for high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds. 

“From our founding over 30 years ago, QuestBridge has always been an organization focused on creating opportunities for students from low-income backgrounds, regardless of race, geography, or academic interest,” the website states. 

Over the years, the scholarship has aided more than 45,000 students, awarding more than $7 billion in scholarships. The program is connected to some of the top universities in the country, including Ivy League schools, Stanford, MIT, and many others. 

Hernandez said she found out about the QuestBridge scholarship when she was just a freshman and always believed she could become a finalist, but imagining matching with MIT was a pipe dream. She applied and was accepted into the program as a junior, but couldn’t have anticipated the whirlwind-type application process the scholarship entails. 

“I had a good feeling about making it into the second round as a finalist, but I never would have imagined matching with a top school such as MIT,” Hernandez said. “I think what made my application stand out from the rest was showcasing my ability to not only join things and take responsibility and show leadership, but also my ability to find what is needed and take initiative to start those things. 

“I would consider the application process to be very overwhelming,” she continued. “I had about a month to write my general application, but after making it to the finalist round, I ranked 12 schools, so I had about 9 days to write supplemental essays for those 12 schools.”

When Hernandez says her creativity knows no bounds, she means it. During her four years at Glenwood Springs High School, she made her mark in nearly every facet of school life.

She served as president of the Spanish Honor Society and the diversity outreach officer in the National Honor Society. She was on the Student Advisory Board, the Superintendent’s Advisory Board, the Equity Advisory Council, and in Student Council Key Club and the Youth Empowerment Agency. This past year, she expanded the Student Advisory Board into the Student Coalition.  

Hernandez also played tennis all four years at GSHS, led the baking club, participated in the Teen Socrates Socratic Seminar at the Aspen Institute, and has been teaching a girls’ coding club at Glenwood Springs Elementary School since her sophomore year. 

Hernandez knows the work is just getting started, but said that being raised in the Glenwood Springs community instilled in her the value of hard work. When she graduates with a bachelor’s degree in 2030, she’ll be the first in her family to do so — further proving how deeply rooted her motivations are. 

“I have lived in Glenwood my entire life, and I’m really glad I was able to grow up in such a tight-knit, vibrant community,” Hernandez said. “I’m going to be a first-generation college graduate, and I think that has always been one of the reasons I have worked so hard — to make sure I graduate, and I do so proud of who I am and what I’ve accomplished. 

“My family has been a huge part of my life, and has shown me that I’m capable of doing more,” she continued. “My biggest mentor has always been my mom. She has taught me the importance of working hard, and the value in doing things right.”

In addition to the special bond between mother and daughter, Hernandez said her teachers, counselors, and mentors made an irreplaceable difference in her academic life. 

“I think it’s incredibly special that I have gotten the opportunity to have such incredible teachers, counselors, and mentors, but also to have the opportunity to get to know them over the years as I have,” she said. “To be accepted by an unknown group of people solely based on the letters my teachers and counselors wrote for me is remarkable, and I feel like they have been such a guiding star in my pursuit of higher education. Being admitted into MIT really helped reassure me that I can be something and that all the work I’ve done over the past years is substantial and has actually made an impact on my community.”

Hernandez plans to study mechanical engineering with an emphasis on biomedical engineering, though she said she did not settle on that path until she experienced MIT’s campus culture. 

“It wasn’t until I actually stepped foot on campus and saw the lively culture that I realized that’s where I wanted to be,” she said. “There was excitement and community everywhere I looked. The Latin Cultural Club was involved and made me feel very reassured that I could have a community there. 

“Although everyone was incredibly focused, they still had fun just like any other college student,” Hernandez continued. “At the same time, the resources and support they have for students reassured me that I was going to have a hands-on exploratory experience that nurtured my curiosity.”

For Hernandez, walking across the graduation stage as valedictorian at GSHS over the weekend was not only a personal achievement. It also marked the first step in her journey to bring closure to her family. 

“Neither of my parents completed high school, and my siblings went through less school than they would have liked,” she said. “For a long time, it felt like my parents and my siblings had unfinished dreams and aspirations, so in a way, although it may not be their dream, graduating as valedictorian and going to MIT is bringing closure to them.”