Dayanara Hernandez '27

Hi! I'm Dayanara Hernandez, a junior at Barnard College double-majoring in Cognitive Science and Human Rights with a specialization in Decision Science. Outside of academics, I find joy in journaling, long walks around the city, and discovering new cafés, but on campus I enjoy mentoring and supporting students in their academic journey. 

Through my work as Peer Academic Coach, I've had the privilege of witnessing how meaningful growth can come from both small and significant moments of support. Those experiences have fueled my commitment to creating spaces that feel inclusive, reflective, and empowering, which has brought me to CEP.

Through coaching, I've seen how students' academic choices are often shaped by moments of feeling overwhelmed, falling behind, or navigating systems that don't always meet them where they are. That perspective has pushed me to think more intentionally about how decision science can inform pedagogy. Simply put, how can we design learning environments that better support students in making decisions that give them the best outcomes and help build their confidence along the way? In practice, this can look like helping a student reframe a daunting deadline into something actionable or identifying which study method helps them best process and retain information. Overall, my goal is for every student to leave feeling more equipped and confident in the decisions they make through their academic journey –– whether that's through a workshop or a parallel play at CEP!