Scholarly Success

Senior Natalia Hernandez will join Johnson & Johnson’s Consumer Marketing Leadership Development Program following graduation, where she will be working closely with their consumer brands in a marketing role. Natalia, a native of Tustin, California, credits her swift transition from student to career professional to the strategic guidance and supportive enrollment management resources offered through her participation in the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) and LMU Career and Professional Development.

Natalia was selected as the Hispanic Scholarship Fund’s Female Scholar of the Year out of a pool of 10,000 Hispanic Scholars from across the country. She received this honor at the 2020 HSF Annual Meeting and Alumni Hall of Fame Reception, held virtually last October.

“LMU and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund have played key roles in helping me work towards my success as a student and as an entry-level professional,” Natalia said. “Moreover, being a student at LMU has given me a greater awareness of my place in the world and the power I have to make a difference in my community.”

In partnership with HSF, the LMU Enrollment Management team, which includes Undergraduate Admission, has provided middle and high school students from the Latina/o community with the support and resources designed to help them prepare, plan, and pay for college. Natalia herself participated in the College 101 Series when going through the college application process.

On the academic front, Natalia believes that the skills she has picked up while a marketing student in LMU College of Business’ prestigious M-School Institute of Marketing will help her flourish in her new role at Johnson & Johnson.

Highly selective and in-demand among LMU’s marketing majors, the M-School aims to transform how students learn about and are immersed in the evolving world of advertising and branding, including through collaboration with industry leaders and companies.

Natalia is on the M-School’s Strategy and Brand Management track, which focuses on advertising and branding strategy, media planning, account and client management, growth hacking, and performance marketing.



Initially drawn to LMU for its Jesuit mission, diverse campus community, and top-ranked LMU College of Business Administration, Natalia says it was her experience at LMU’s Latino Scholars Day that ultimately sold her on becoming an LMU Lion.

“Being surrounded by a community of people that looked like me while visiting campus assured me that I would always have a supportive group of people within reach,” Natalia said. “I left my visit feeling that LMU was a place where I would feel at home and thrive.”

Natalia added that as a first-generation college student, LMU’s fantastic faculty, staff, and campus support services were instrumental in helping her succeed. The First To Go Program was particularly impactful.

“I’m just so grateful to the First To Go community and my professors and the staff at LMU,” Natalia said. “This is a community of people who genuinely want to help their students reach their educational goals and, in general, make you excited to learn. Coupled with my college experience, I feel prepared to go into the world and tackle my next chapter.”

In addition to her participation in HSF and First To Go, Natalia is also a member of Creare Service Organization, is retention chair and historian for Grupo de Folklorico de LMU, and is involved in Greek life.

As for what advice she has for future LMU Lions?

“Treasure your time on the bluff and take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way,” Natalia said. “It goes by so fast, but luckily the connections and community you make while a student at LMU doesn’t fade away after you graduate. They last a lifetime.”