Winter Commencement is a time to celebrate the graduating Tar Heels.

But, Bryan Hernandez, a graduating UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School business administration major, knows the day is about more than him.

It’s a day to celebrate all of the people who have helped him get to this moment, like classmates, professors, mentors and, especially, his parents.

“They gave up everything, so we had the chance to go to college,” he said. “It’ll definitely feel like their hard work paid off, too.”

Hernandez has certainly put in some hard work of his own, though, to get to this day. He applied to Carolina as a high school senior in Sanford, North Carolina, but he was not offered admission. Instead of attending another university, Hernandez decided to take advantage of the Carolina Student Transfer Excellence Program.

He completed his general education requirements during two years at Sandhills Community College. Then, he transferred to Carolina in the fall of 2017 as a junior.

On this week’s episode, Hernandez explains how he took advantage of every opportunity available at Carolina and why he feels so prepared for his next journey in life — a position at Cisco.