Micaela Hernandez has been a part of Roughneck Nation since the three-year old program. One of her favorite memories from high school was during her sophomore year when she was at the regional powerlifting meet. She did not really understand how she was doing until Coach Newton casually said, "Hey, you have to lift this much more to make it to state." What grabbed her attention was the way he and Parker talked in such a calm, "but you can do it" manner. It made her believe in herself. As they quickly did the math on the board, she knew the lift moved her up in the standings. Later, after the second attempt, she knew she had made it to State. She quickly glanced up in the stands, and saw her mom and brother jumping in excitement. It was a special moment as an athlete and a feeling she will never forget.
Micaela has earned many sports awards in her high school career including going to State in Powerlifting her freshman year, and the relay team placing 4th in the 4×1 relay at the State Track Meet. Her sophomore year she planned on competing in the state powerlifting meet, but it was canceled due to COVID-19. Micaela's Junior year, however, she rebounded by going to the State Powerlifting Meet for a second time, and brought home a silver medal! In the spring of her junior year, she competed in State Track once again, and the team placed 8th in both the 4×1 and the 4×2 relays.
Attending Texas A&M University and studying to be a nurse practitioner are Micaela's future plans. Her favorite class in high school was Photography. An inspirational quote for Micaela is “Live a little more, and care a little bit less.” ~unknown. A role model for Micaela is her older brother, Isaac. The advice she has for underclassmen is, “It doesn't matter what other people think about you.” Best of luck to Micaela and the Class of 2022.