Gabe Hernandez was born in Denver, Colorado just two months after his parents moved to the United States from Mexico. "We moved around a bit before finally settling outside of Dallas, Texas. From the day I was first able to feel the concept of motion, my parents tell me that my motor was non-stop. One of their favorite stories to tell is as a newborn, I would immediately start crying the moment the car stopped moving, and that I would stop crying the second we accelerated again. Growing up in Texas, the very same energy was put to good use, as I went on to competitively play seven different sports by the time I graduated high school: Soccer, Baseball, Football, Basketball, Track and Field, Cross Country, and Tennis. Though I have a special appreciation for all of these sports in their own way, I would rank basketball and soccer above the rest if I was forced to pick."

As a child of immigrants, Hernandez was always forced to figure out academics on his own. "A family friend suggested to my parents that they should purchase a home that was close enough to our Spanish-speaking community in Garland, but that was still zoned for the more successful and predominantly white public-school district next door. My parents learned about concepts like class rank, GPA, and college admissions as I did, which meant that most of the learning had to occur through association with my white peers."

Hernandez explains that he learned about Stanford by chance and applied through the QuestBridge Scholars Program "thanks to a receptionist at a college fair, located an hour away from my house, that went out of her way to write the website down for me on a napkin. I eventually matched to Stanford through this process and never finished applying to any other school. In my mind, I had learned that Stanford was both a top academic and athletic university, which made my decision simple."

Once at Stanford, Hernandez tried out for the Ultimate Frisbee team "thanks to an invitation from my freshman roommate, and, once on the team, it very quickly became one of my top priorities. The team and the sport became my place to forget about all the stress that came with being a first-generation college student, and it helped me through many tough times in my personal life. I was chosen to be captain my sophomore year and I proceeded to captain for the rest of my time at Stanford."

Hernandez played a huge role in the development of many different teammates throughout his time as team captain. "Gabe Hernandez played a huge part in my early Frisbee career." Says former teammate Sergio Licon. "During my first year he took me in as his wing man," which was the Ultimate team's version of a mentor ship program to help the younger athletes. "Through this, I got to spend time with Gabe and got the chance to learn from one of the greatest Frisbee players I have seen on the field." Licon continues to describe that his goal every practice was to beat Hernandez at least once but it rarely happened. Regardless of this friendly competition, Licon says he grew mentally and physically from Gabe's leadership and could never forget Gabe's "super hype huddles." Not only did Serigo Licon learn many different skills on the field but he was able to witness "how much of a goofy guy Gabe really is. He is a kid at heart in both his playful mannerisms and the purity of his heart." These characteristics were also noticed by Hernandez's former coaches, which sparked their initial reasoning for making Hernandez a team captain.

The coaches of the Stanford Men's Ultimate team gave a long, inspirational speech addressing the reasoning behind picking such a young team captain. "A lot of it really starts with the end of Gabe's Freshman year, when we had to decide who to pick for captain next year. There is a reason why we picked Gabe as a Freshman, to be Stanford's first ever Sophomore captain. A guy who could not throw and didn't know anything about Frisbee." The head coach continues to ask himself, why they chose Hernandez to be captain of a sport he didn't know much about. "It is because the effort, the attitude, the dedication, the humility, the desire to learn and get better, and the fun nature. That was all there."

Hernandez continues to describe his Stanford experiences with Club Sports. "During my junior year, we were able to qualify for the National Championship Tournament for the first time in over five years. During my fourth and final year on the team, I was nominated for the USA Ultimate Callahan Award, which is awarded to the Most Valuable Player in the College Division every year." When the opportunity of competing to qualify for Nationals arose for the second time, Hernandez fought through the pain of a concussion and a torn ACL to help his team qualify. His dedication and determination to lead his team to Nationals didn't go unnoticed.

Coaches and players from across the country voted for Hernandez to receive the MVP award because of his commitment, loyalty and love for the game and his team. The Stanford Club Sports Program awarded Gabe Hernandez the Shirley Schoof Club Sports Athlete of the Year Award which is given to a Stanford Club student-athlete who demonstrates outstanding leadership, exemplifies fair play/sportsmanship, achieves excellence within the sport and is committed to making a positive impact on the Stanford community.

Hernandez is now a Stanford Alumni who reflects back on his experiences as a Stanford Club Sport student-athlete. He acknowledges that these amazing accomplishments would not have been possible by solely relying on the funding that comes from the Stanford Club Sports Program. Hernandez explains that the sport of Competitive Ultimate Frisbee is currently only accessible to student-athletes that have the money to pay for all the necessities such as, travel, lodging and all other aspects that involve being a highly competitive sport. Hernandez goes on to express his gratitude for a number of organizations that made his experience possible. "Thanks to QuestBridge, The Stanford Fund, and Stanford Club Sports, I was able to travel and compete for four consecutive years without ever having to worry about food, housing, travel, or finances. Without these organizations, I would not have been able to afford a college education, much less to dedicate an extensive amount of time to an expensive competitive sport."

"It was through Ultimate that I was able to learn valuable life lessons about positivity and a process-oriented approach to your goals. I learned valuable lessons about time- management and relationship-building. I learned how to prioritize my time and how not to over commit myself. Most importantly, however, I made unbreakable friendships that I will cherish forever." Teammate, Sergio Licon explains that he has formed an unforgettable friendship with Hernandez through the time they spent playing for Stanford and says he "continues to be inspired by the way Gabe uses his opportunities through Frisbee and education to incite change. All love for my boy Gabito."

After graduating, Hernandez moved back to Texas to become a full-time public-school teacher while pursuing a Master’s in Education from Johns Hopkins. "I learned that much of my personal journey was riddled with coincidences and access points that many immigrants and their children may never have access to. I am determined to provide my students in the Dallas Independent School District with as many opportunities as possible so that socioeconomic status and language barriers affect their learning as minimally as possible." In the future, Hernandez plans to pursue a joint degree in Public Policy and Law so "I can better inform the education policy landscape in the United States, so that every child has access to quality education, regardless of income."

Hernandez's advice to current student-athletes is to "find the underlying passion behind the things that you want to commit yourself to. Don’t spread yourself too thin. Pick one or two things that you really care about and pursue them fully. Invest heavily in the relationships you most value, for there is no greater reward."

- Gabe Hernandez, 18'