In 2014, Tristan Hernandez stepped foot inside The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) for the very first time as a young STEM camper. A few years later, he decided to return as a dual-enrollment student to further his education.
Then, while looking for job opportunities before beginning his college career, Hernandez joined Dan River Year AmeriCorps, leading him back to an organization that has left a lasting impact on him.
Hernandez has served three AmeriCorps terms so far. He spent his first two terms as a Summer STEM Educator and his third term as a VISTA Summer Associate.
During his time with AmeriCorps, Hernandez has helped lead a variety of IALR’s summer STEM camps, just like the ones he attended as a child.
THE LASTING IMPACT OF IALR’S SUMMER STEM CAMPS
Every summer, IALR hosts various STEM camps for students in kindergarten through ninth grade to continue learning after the school year ends. These summer STEM camps provide students with a hands-on, engaging experience that combines fun and education. Each camp introduces students to new and exciting topics that help inspire a love of learning.
“I loved coming to all the STEM camps, and I loved what IALR was able to provide for me when I was little,” Hernandez said. “I’m a strong believer in continuous learning. I think that even if it’s not traditional learning, there are always opportunities to see more and explore more. I think the STEM camps do a good job of giving hands-on opportunities to supplement classroom learning.”
Growing up, Hernandez signed up for as many camps as possible, always looking for a way to learn more. A camp experience that has stuck with him involved building a self-propelled car. Every day, the teams would race the cars and make changes until the final race at the end of the week. Hernandez remembers staying in fourth place all week until winning the final race, showing him that there is always an opportunity to learn more and grow.
Tristan Hernandez (right) holds a chromatography coffee filter he made during an IALR STEM Camp in December of 2015. Serving as a member of the Dan River Year AmeriCorps program, Tristan has taught STEM Camps at IALR for several years.
Not only did Hernandez attend many STEM camps as a child, but he also attended the Piedmont Governor’s School for Math, Science and Technology, a dual-enrollment program hosted by IALR in partnership with Danville Community College, Pittsylvania County Schools and Danville City Schools. This program provides 11th- and 12th-grade students with a challenging, project-driven, research-based curriculum in a technology-infused environment.
His time at IALR as a camper and student deepened his curiosity about STEM, leading him to pursue STEM-based majors and career pathways. Hernandez will begin his junior year at the University of Virginia this fall, where he is majoring in math and computer science, and he hopes to have a career in software engineering.
AMERICORPS AND BEYOND
Hernandez has both experienced and played a part in the impact IALR and Dan River Year AmeriCorps have on students and the surrounding community.
A program that has continuously evolved to meet community needs, Dan River Year AmeriCorps helps create positive change in Southern Virginia through three core focus areas: STEM and literacy education, youth mental health and community health outreach. Members help educate students in the classroom and through informal environments like STEM Camps, lead health workshops, support youth mental health initiatives, and much more.
By joining AmeriCorps, members are given the opportunity to serve in schools, neighborhoods and community organizations to meet local needs while gaining personal and professional growth. As a member of Dan River Year AmeriCorps, Hernandez has learned to think quickly when plans change and, most importantly, to help the students have the same experience he did.
Tristan Hernandez works with a student during a Service Learning Camp during the summer of 2026.
“The most rewarding part is seeing the student start to be passionate about things they don’t even realize they’re learning,” Hernandez said. “Seeing students think the way I did as a camper is what I like most about the camps. It’s good to see that they can think in a lot of different ways and they’re still able to accomplish the same goal.”
IALR and Dan River Year AmeriCorps have played a huge role in Hernandez’s story. From attending summer STEM camps as a child to sitting in a Piedmont Governor’s School classroom and now serving as an AmeriCorps member who helps instruct IALR’s STEM camps, Hernandez has come full circle while also contributing to the lasting impact on students as they begin writing their own stories.
IALR’s summer STEM camps help students view the world around them differently and more creatively. This year, IALR helped students see that learning something new can be exciting. Students learned to write their own books, built and programmed their own LEGO robots, used their imaginations to create new worlds, gave back to their community through service learning and much more. Every camp offers new experiences that lead campers to return year after year.
“I hope that students are realizing that even if you don’t see people doing these jobs firsthand, there are people who build rockets and engineer big things – and local pathways for these careers. There’s still an opportunity for these students to see that the world is a lot bigger than what’s in front of them. I think that’s an experience that I got from these STEM camps as well,” Hernandez said.
