Lauren Hernandez is a graduate student at Arizona State University, studying Social Justice and Human Rights. Lauren is Puerto Rican and Dominican. She was born in Philadelphia, PA and raised in Harlem, New York.
After earning a masters degree Lauren will become a voice for those who have been silenced by their societal issues. Her experience embracing a variety of cultures, languages and religions during her travels to Europe and Africa will allow her to serve as a skilled candidate when confronted with international issues. Her vocation in life is to educate and motivate children who believe they are incapable of success due to their race, sexual orientation, religious beliefs or social class.
What Inspired Lauren to Study Dhaka?
In December 2016, Lauren withheld a seasonal position at UPS in East Harlem, New York. As she became familiar with her coworkers she learned that the district manager and the majority of employees were from Bangladesh. What interested her most was the story of a particular coworker named Sany.
"It's hard for immigrants living in America. I remember I applied for my Visa in 2014 and I wrote on my Facebook status "I'M COMING TO USA" and after living in New York for three years I see the true struggle. From birth to death, life is a race. First you fight with a thousand chromosomes to be born and then you fight everyone in the world to make it to the top." -Sany
Interview (2017)
Lauren: Where did you live in Dhaka?
Sany: My village name is Kapasia. In the Gazipur district.
Lauren: Is your village affected by the water crisis?
Sany: Well water crisis only occurs in the summer time when it becomes warm and dry and people start wasting more water. It’s getting better year-by-year. Load shedding, traffic jam, water crisis, bad commute plan and systems, and over population are the main problem and the weak side of our country.
Lauren: When was the last time you visited your village? Were there any changes?
Sany: I last visited my village 3 years ago. There are many sudden changes in people and their lifestyle. I can still remember 8 years ago my home village was totally a silent haunted village with no electricity, no mobile network and with mostly no people. Now it’s filled with people, small shops, mobile electronic stores, food markets, a bus stand, mosque, school, few factories and 2 floor brick buildings. People are using dish TV, they have 3G-network coverage in their phone and Internet!
Lauren: In your opinion, what is the significance of this change?
Sany: The village people are trying to start doing small businesses to survive and keep up with the city. They also send their mature responsible sons abroad to work for 5-7 years. Usually people from the village try to get a labor visa to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Oman. The point is to earn and save some money and come back with those savings. Then he/she will get married and open up his own business with his savings.
Lauren: How did you arrive in the United States?
Sany: There is an age limit for the kid applicants. If any kids are over 23 or married they will not get a visa and I was at the borderline of that age limit. So my parents sent me here immediately. But I don’t like New York City, its too busy, too crowded and a polluted just like Dhaka.
Gazipur District is located North of Dhaka City
Kapasia Village Population: 400,000
Lets go inside Sany's Village
Future Plans
After learning from former coworker and virtually walking between Dhaka's slums and dreamworlds Lauren is devoted to physically visiting Bangladesh. Lauren hopes to do humanitarian work in Dhaka's largest slum (Karail) and Sany's village (Kapasia).