Simon Hernandez was drawn to GW for all the right reasons and over the last four years, he has made it his business to take advantage of D.C.

“If I was going to study journalism and politics, GW and DC were the places to be,” he said.

After talking his way out of the prerequisite needed for an advanced documentary class taught by Professor Frank Sesno, Hernandez developed a relationship with the future SMPA Director.

Hernandez produced a segment about traffic in Mexico, where he was born, for Planet Forward, a social media project founded by Sesno, designed to encourage conversation about preserving the environment.

Sesno would later suggest that Hernandez pursue an internship in television production, so in his junior year, he began work with CNN Presents, the documentary department of the network.

This year, Hernandez has interned at the Newseum and CBS’s 60 Minutes, where his passion for television production has only grown.

“There isn’t a better internship than 60 Minutes for a journalism student in Washington. Talk about the crown jewel of broadcast journalism,” Hernandez said.

During his internships, Hernandez has worked on projects covering the Pentagon and the State Department, anchored by world-class journalists, while also learning the technicalities of editing.

On campus, Hernandez is also involved with WRGW.

Signing off for the last time from his weekly show “Simon Says” was not easy, he said.

He has also been involved with the Organization of Latino American Students and the Omicron Delta Kappa honor society.

For students left at GW, Hernandez said, “You’re in a city that has all these opportunities, but only if you go out and get them. Talk to your professors and class guests, go to office hours, really look for things.”

If he doesn’t find a job right away, Hernandez plans to make a “triumphant return” to the District in the future, after some rest in Austin, Texas, where he now calls home.

Saying, “It’s very General MacArther-esque. ‘I shall return.'”