Photo shows Stacie standing in her living room, holding her white cane, smiling.
May’s Person to Know is Stacie Hernandez, Secretary of the Coastal Bend Chapter in Corpus Christi, Texas. Stacie has been a member of the NFB since 2019. Her journey into the NFB began when another NFB member assisted Stacie with obtaining a money reader and other tools she needed to become more independent after her mother passed away.
Stacie now lives alone in a rented home. She has become used to it and is learning more and more to do things on her own, including using the local paratransit, which she feels safe using on her own, and sometimes Lyft.
Stacie was born blind, but she has light perception. She has been a cane user since she was four years old. Stacie attended Robstown ISD and had teachers that would braille out her class work so that she could work independently. School wasn’t easy for Stacie because she was bullied due to her blindness and left feeling like an outcast. However, her strong will led her to attend summer camps at the School for the Blind from the ages of 11-19 years old. Once Stacie completed school, she participated in work programs with the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS). Stacie then started working at The Lighthouse for the Blind in Corpus Christi, Texas when she was 21, in 2009. This year will mark her 15th anniversary with the Lighthouse. During those 15 years, Stacie has worked on turn tables making binders, packed toilet paper into boxes, placed labels onto soap bottles, and made DNA packets.
Stacie is currently attending Del Mar College in pursuit of a Music Degree. She is planning to take a break from college to attend Criss Cole Rehabilitation Center in Austin to gain some technology training to better advance herself in her goals.
Stacie’s love of music has led her to become a background vocalist for the Sesi Lopez Band, which performs Tejano music. Stacie is also learning to play the piano and write her own songs! She has six songs under her belt already, which she wrote based on her own experiences. Besides the love of music, Stacie loves animals, running on her treadmill, hanging out with friends, and Hershey’s chocolate bars.
Stacie is excited to attend the National Convention in July. She lives by the motto, “If you want something bad enough, get up and make it happen!”
