2020 Robert L. Wesley Award
Viridiana Hernandez Sevilla

My name is Viridiana Hernandez and I am a first-year architecture student at The University of Oklahoma. I grew up in Mexico and came to the United States as a Dreamer to study and become the first in my family to obtain a college degree. I graduated from Norman North High School and then attended Moore Norman Technology Center, graduating with honors. I first fell in love with interior design while producing CAD drawings for a high school student for a competition. I enjoyed helping her and she won the competition with the drawings I provided. Moving on to a university, I realized I really loved architecture as well and ultimately decided architecture would be the best path for me. My academic goals are to obtain a master’s degree in architecture and minor in entrepreneurship. This will allow for exploring many business opportunities related to the built environment and other innovative businesses. In my free time I enjoy outdoor activities, painting, and making music. My biggest motivators to be successful are my mother, becoming an example to people that come from a similar background as me, and being able to help them reach the summit as well.

As a Dreamer through the DREAM Act program launched by former President Obama, one of my favorite quotes is from the biggest dreamer in history, Martin Luther King, Jr.: “If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, keep moving.”

Viri has worked tirelessly to fund her transportation, housing, and schooling—starting with vocational school, then going to community college. Now, she is the first person in her family to pursue a college degree at a four-year institution, and we are absolutely thrilled that she has chosen architecture as the backbone of her path to success.

Angela M. Person, Assistant Professor, University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture