September’s Person to Know is Erik Ivan Hernandez of the Rio Grande Valley Chapter. Erik was born in Brownsville, TX and spent his childhood in Matamoros, Mexico, before returning to Brownsville at age 14. He has one brother and one sister. Erik was born with Stickler Syndrome, which caused partial blindness. He credits his mother, who is completely blind, with introducing him to the federation. He has been a member of the NFB for over 10 years. Last year, he became a board member for the RGV chapter.

Erik has been mentored by both Rolando Hernandez and Daniel Martinez. He currently attends the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, where he is pursuing his Bachelor’s degree with the goal of becoming a History teacher. He is an NFBTX scholarship candidate this year.

Erik is very involved in his communities on both sides of the border. He is a Eucharist minister at his church in Matamoros and volunteers as much as he can in the RGV. Erik is a white cane user, uses the public transit system, and can read braille in English and Spanish!

Erik and his wife will celebrate their first wedding anniversary in December. He also plays the violin and piano. His favorite foods are brisket and pozole. Erik lives by the moto, “When you have something to live for, you never give up.”