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Celeste H.G. Boyd

Biography

Celeste Hernández-Gerety, 24, dropped out of college to become a traveling troubadour who sang political protest songs, but then decided she needed to complete her education to pursue her passion for social justice. Celeste, the oldest of six children, earned a 4.0 GPA at the University of Maryland at College Park while working more than 25 hours a week and conducting research for the Children's Defense Fund on federal programs for low-income people. She graduated summa cum laude. Ms. Hernández-Gerety will enroll in Yale Law School to follow her dream of becoming a public interest advocate.

Celeste grew up with her loyalties divided between her artistic side and her intellectual side. In kindergarten, she says, she wanted to be a part-time dentist and a part-time dancer. In high school, she showed a passion for the theatre but also wrote for the school paper about the political apathy of her generation. She thought she had combined the two sides of her nature when she began writing and performing social protest songs. Unhappy following her freshman year at the University of New Mexico, she dropped out to become a traveling troubadour, strumming her guitar and singing her songs in coffee shops and bars from San Diego to Seattle. After two years on the road, however, she found herself craving more intellectual challenges and debate than she found among her fellow artists and activists.

When she came to the Washington area as an exchange student, Celeste recalls, it was somewhat like an "all-you-can-eat buffet of gourmet food" for anyone interested in politics. Classes at Maryland tested her beliefs but did not change her passion for social justice. She also found ways to enrich her budding activism outside her studies at the University of Maryland. Her internship with the Children's Defense Fund made a profound impression on her, while her work with the Women's Edge Coalition shaped her thinking about global issues of poverty

Ms. Hernández-Gerety contends that poor people at home and abroad often do not have the resources to take advantage of programs intended to help them. And, she believes, many programs put politics and profits before people in need. As a public interest advocate, she adds, she will be able to provide legal aid for those who cannot afford it. Secondly, she hopes to work for changes in policy to insure that social safety net programs actually achieve their intended purpose. "I will still have the heart of a folksinger, but instead of making my arguments from stage, straining to sing over the clamor of a bar, I will make my arguments in the courtroom or the halls of government," she concludes.

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