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Luz Hernández papers

 Collection
Identifier: MSS 306

Scope and Contents

Seeing the connection between the mind and the body, Hernandez harnessed movement therapies to help allievate distress and the physical, psychological, and emotional problems experienced by K-12 students in New York City public schools. The collection contains photographs and video recordings of these programs in East Harlem; Bushwick, Brooklyn; and at the High School of Fashion Industries. A few documents explain the theory and benefits of her approach.

Dates

  • Creation: 1986-2000s

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Open to researchers without restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Video recordings are unavailable. Copyright held by Centro.

Biographical / Historical

Luz C. Hernández, a New York City public school guidance counselor and yoga instructor, is an advocate for non-traditional therapy modalities. She has developed programs to address student mental health and academic needs, especially in East Harlem and Bushwick Brooklyn.

She received a B.A. in Education from the University of Connecticut, a masters of education in guidance from Brooklyn College CUNY, and a second masters of education in psychology from Long Island University. Hernández received additional training at the Swedish Institute of Allied Health Science and Physiotherapy and the Bank Street College of Education, both in New York. Early in her career Hernádez worked as a counselor and instructor at Brooklyn College and Touro College.

As a guidance counselor Hernández provided individual and group counseling; monitored student socio-emotional and academic performance and interventions; and created school programs that integrate body and mind approaches to heal psychological and emotional problems.

As a Bilingual Guidance Counselor and Program Coordinator in District 32 in Brooklyn, New York Hernández taught dance (including folkloric dances) and creative movement at Bushwick P.S. 377. She implemented similar programs as a Bilingual School Psychologist and Guidance Counselor for District 4, which encompasses East Harlem. Transitioning to the High School of Fashion Industres in 2005, Hernández developed the Yoga-Dance Club which incorporated yoga, zumba, flamenco, belly dance, health, and nutrition for student well-being.

The United States Department of State awarded her a U.S. Speaker and Specialist grant in 2001 for her project examining art therapy for at risk kids. As of 2021 Hernádez resides in Manhattan and is a Senior Yoga Instructor at the Integral Yoga Institute.

Extent

2 Cubic_Feet

Language of Materials

English

Spanish; Castilian

Abstract

The Luz Hernández papers offer insight into non-traditonal methods of therapy and intervention programs for at-risk students. Primarily comprised of photographs, the collection documents yoga, art, and movement therapies, and other the other programs Hernández led to support New York City public school students' mental health, social development, and academic needs during the mid 1980s through the 2000s.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated by Luz C. Hernández, 2021.

Processing Information

Processed by Susan M. Kline in 2022.

Title
Luz Hernández papers
Status
Completed
Author
Susan M. Kline
Date
2022
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Archives of the Puerto Rican Diaspora Repository

Contact:
Silberman Building, Hunter College
2180 Third Ave. Rm. 122
New York New York 10065




About the Collections

Our collections consist of personal papers from prominent Puerto Rican artists, elected officials, social activists, writers, as well as the records of community-based organizations. Our largest collection, the Offices of the Government of Puerto Rico in the United States (OGPRUS) Records, measures approximately 2,900 cubic feet and contains an extraordinary amount of information regarding Puerto Rican migrants and the government institutions established to assist them. The collections date from the 1890s to the present, and document Puerto Rican communities in the Northeast, Midwest, Florida, California and Hawaii.