Dani Hernandez Shows What’s Possible as a Rio Salado Student Parent
By Mira Radovich, Senior Contributing Writer
After dinner, the house changes.
For Dani Hernandez, that’s when she switches into “Dani is going to college mode.”
The 36-year-old Rio Salado College student is a wife, mother of four, full-time employee and community volunteer. But once dinner is over, her kids know that mom’s focus turns to school.
Hernandez is in her third year of taking classes at Rio, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and special education.
“I chose Rio because classes are 100 percent online,” Hernandez said. “My whole experience the first two years of college was that after dinner, I immediately went into college mode. I was able to navigate my college experience when my little ones were going to sleep.”
For Hernandez, becoming a teacher connects to her experiences as a mother, her work with students and her own educational journey.
“I did well in high school, and even earned some college credits there,” Hernandez said. “School was my secure place. Then I had my first son at the end of sophomore year, and my second son as a senior. I didn’t get a chance to finish.”
After moving to Texas with her husband and children, Hernandez earned her high school equivalency diploma at age 20. She later took community college classes while working in retail management to support her family.
“I had to stop school to work,” Hernandez said. “My store manager position didn’t allow me the flexibility to attend classes in person. Online wasn’t a thing yet, or if it was, I didn’t have the option. I didn’t have access to a computer.”
Five years later, Hernandez welcomed a daughter, followed 13 months later by her youngest son, who was diagnosed with autism.
“I saw it when he was a baby,” she said. “He didn’t progress. He didn’t make milestones. He didn’t do things typical [children] would do.”
The diagnosis led Hernandez to advocate for her son, and that connection is one reason she chose to pursue a career in special education.
After moving back to Arizona in 2020, Hernandez began looking at affordable education options to finally realize the dream she had carried for years.
She researched her options after a friend recommended the Maricopa Community Colleges.
“When I found out that Maricopa offered payment plans, I knew I could do it,” Hernandez said. “That’s what solidified me going to college because financial aid was not an option my first semester.”
Rio’s online bachelor’s degree program in elementary and special education fit perfectly with Hernandez’s career plans, allowing her to work while going to school.
She currently works at Arizona Autism Charter Schools as a specialist teacher serving students in kindergarten through third grade.
“It’s really nice to work in the field I’m going to school for and have my field experience within my work, as well,” Hernandez said. “Everything I’m learning in my classes I apply to home life or work life. It’s a great blessing what Rio Salado has done for my life.”
Showing Her Children What’s Possible
Through it all, Hernandez keeps her children at the center of why she wanted a better life in the first place.
Today, her youngest son attends the same school district where she works.
“I’m really proud,” she said. “He could be mainstream, but I keep him in his community. He understands other friends are working through their own problems. They’re there supporting each other, and I think it’s a beautiful thing.”
Hernandez’s oldest son recently became the first person in the family to graduate from high school. He is now attending college in Texas to become an EMT.
“My oldest son and I have grown up together,” Hernandez said. “I was only 15 when I had him. He experienced firsthand all the challenges I had to endure. I want all my children to do more things, better things, be a better version of the human I was at the time.”
As she balances school, work and parenting, Hernandez has learned that organization is essential.
“When I get my syllabus, I first look at what assignments I need to do and what events are happening that could benefit me,” she said. “Because I am a visual learner, I color code my assignments and have due dates written in my calendar and my mobile app.”
Hernandez knows firsthand that returning to school as a parent can seem daunting. But she also knows what education can make possible.
“I love learning,” she said. “I don’t think I’ll ever stop. I’ll keep collecting degrees.”
Her current goal is to become a certified special education teacher, then earn a master’s degree in special education and eventually pursue doctoral study in curriculum or educational research.
For Hernandez, the journey is about showing her children — and other parents who may wonder if college is still possible — what can happen when they make room for a new goal.
“If somebody has an extra four hours in the day, they absolutely have time for college,” she said. “They can turn that into a degree.”