Karisma Polly
Staff Writer
On Central Campus, Professor Noel Hernandez offers an intriguing look into his journey of becoming a professor, his hobbies, his PhD pursuits and his experience as a musician.
For five years Hernandez has been a professor at Broward College and currently teaches AMH2010 and AMH2020. His passion for teaching stems from his varied experiences and the belief that higher education offers a unique purpose. “I feel there is more purpose, the students, why are the students in colleges at this point you are a person who wants more.” He added, “I think there’s something special about students who want that knowledge, and I want to be around students like that who crave to learn more,” said Hernandez.
His fascination with the past and determination to provide educational opportunities led him to the classroom. “I remember when I was little, four or five years old, my parents used to have, not exaggerating here, 150 photo albums of their lives, and I was only four or five years old. We always had this obsession with the pictures of photography, and that’s a form of history, which I came later to think that it was normal. Something that everybody had, and I realized that they didn’t. So, I think I always had a small obsession with the past just because of my family influence in that sense,” said Hernandez.
He added, “Lack of opportunity for education is a stem of poverty and crime and suffering that many of us, it doesn’t matter where we live or what we go through. So, if I saw lack of education as a problem, then you know, it sounds cheesy, but why not become the change you want to see? That kind of guided my ethos to reply and teach,” he said.
Besides his academic role. He is also a musician, playing rock music with many bands in Florida. “Lately, I play mostly rock. I play with two bands here in South Florida, lots of heavy noise music most recently, but I do like all sorts of things and have been differently involved in all different kinds of music from Latin to rock to jazz,” he said. “I play drums for currently two bands. One is SnowMoon, and the other one is Dyne Side. Those are the bands I have played the most with lately.”
These bands perform everywhere in the U.S. including locally; the music can be downloaded anywhere. “All sorts of places, our last big tour with Dyne Side, we opened for a band called Nothing More. They’re a much bigger band than us. They’re on a signed record label, and we did a tour that went everywhere from Evansville to New York,” he said.
His interests also extend beyond music and history. “I love art, I love all sorts of things. Grappling is my hobby. I do a lot of grappling at an MMA gym. It’s a jujitsu gym called Tenth Planet Miami in Miramar,” he said. “I think it’s great for everyone to have pursuits out of their work, to have pursuits outside of their schooling”.
Additionally, he is working on getting his PhD in History. “The field would consider me to be a cultural historian as much of my research is about culture,” he said. “The PhD is more for me. I’m first generation in my family to have my master’s and if everything goes well, I will be the first one to have my doctorate. And I wouldn’t be anywhere without my family’s support. I feel like I owe it to them, and I hope to raise their legacy, I also hope to gain more opportunities.”
Professor Hernandez hopes to impart perspective to his students through courses like AMH2010 and AMH2020. “Perspective is one of the most important lessons that the social science of history gives. That’s what I want my students to gain. I want them to gain perspective where they can be better human beings.” Some advice he has for his students: “Learn enough so that when the hard decisions come, you can make them for yourself.”
A student currently taking AMH2010 expressed enthusiasm for the class and the professor’s teaching style. “I love learning new things about the way the world we live in today was made and the way that our professor Mr. H is so passionate about the way that he teaches and he’s so excited about the information. It just really makes me want to come to class,” said Taylor Yellin.
The same student was able to learn that in history when new information is discovered it completely changes the whole path of life and how that can help others see the world with a more open mind. “Knowing that history is a story that’s written, and as soon as new information comes to light, it changes the whole trajectory of the way we know things. So, I feel like going forward, I will now look at the bigger picture than just what a school is, which could definitely help,” said Yellin.
caption: Professor Noel Hernandez. Photo Courtesy of noelalexhernandez.com