Eric Hernandez MSW '03 came to Los Angeles at age 11 from war-torn El Salvador, where he had been caring for his younger brother. The siblings joined their parents in a small apartment in the Pico Union area.

"Moving here from El Salvador was frustrating, depressing and painful," he recalls. "We had to adjust to a new place, new language, new people. We struggled, but my parents emphasized the importance of education."

He somehow managed not to fall through the cracks as a student at Belmont High School, which, with 5,600 pupils, is one of the largest in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Today, he is back at Belmont as a pupil services and attendance (PSA) counselor, helping others navigate an often impersonal environment.

"I knew my calling was to work at a high school, but I didn't know in what capacity," he says. "It never occurred to me that I'd go back to my own high school. But I found my true calling in social work."

Hernandez intended to become an academic counselor but returned to Belmont when the PSA counselor left to become vice principal at another school.

"In PSA counseling, you really get to work a lot more closely with the families," says Hernandez, who makes 15 to 30 home visits every week. "Some students drop out to support the family because their parents can no longer work. Some stay home to care for younger siblings. Others have health issues. A kid may be having trouble in school because he doesn't have glasses. These are the simple things we take for granted. Since a large number of families here are undocumented residents, they really need to be connected with basic services."

While the large size of the student body can be daunting, Hernandez says: "It's impossible to know what's going on with 5,600 kids. You take in one case at a time and do the best you can with that family and student. I work as an advocate for the kids."

Although he enjoys his current role, he ultimately wants to influence policy. "My goal is hopefully to turn things around in the public school system through policy making. I want to be an agent of change."