Keeping CLS In the Family: Hernandez Siblings Join Class of 2027

Published June 24, 2025
By Darlene Muguiro
UTEP College of Health Sciences
Aidan and Cierra Hernandez, juniors in the Clinical Laboratory Sciences (CLS) Program, were born into the healthcare field. Their parents – a nephrologist and an anesthesiologist CRNA – began involving them in discussions about health care from an early age. This summer, they are among 44 new students who will begin their journey toward careers as medical laboratory scientists.
“Our parents have been in the medical field for quite some time, and that definitely shaped our career goals,” Aidan said. “Our mother helped build a clinic from the ground up and worked for a nephrologist as well. And our aunt, Lily Mejia, is a graduate of the UTEP CLS Program.”
Aidan and Cierra are graduates of Permian Basin High School. After his graduation, Aidan spent more time in Odessa as a pharmacy technician before moving to El Paso. It was not a difficult decision, with several of their extended family members already in the city. Upon first arriving at UTEP, he spent some time exploring different majors.
“I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do, although I did know I wanted it to be in the health sciences. But my decision was really solidified once Cierra moved here a few years later, and we decided to go into the Clinical Laboratory Sciences Program together,” he said.
Cierra had already started her CLS degree at Texas Women’s University but felt that the program was a bit too unorganized, so she jumped on the opportunity to join her brother and continue her education at UTEP. Their mother was supportive, encouraging Cierra to make the move to El Paso to be closer to her brother. While their initial reaction moving from the small town of Odessa to El Paso was “intimidating,” they say their experience at UTEP thus far has been “amazing,” with incredible support being shown by both current CLS students and the professors.
“It feels like we’ve already had multiple wake-up walls, having received some warnings from the seniors in the CLS program...but it’s also helpful,” said Aidan. “The stories that they share just show that while the program is incredibly challenging, it’s definitely doable.”
“The professors really go above and beyond to make sure that you understand one chapter in the book, and they make everything really fun,” said Cierra.
“Also, many of the professors have been through this program themselves, and they’ve come back to UTEP to teach,” added Aidan. “They really understand what we’re going through, and it’s obvious that they are willing to do everything they can to drag you across that finish line. They’re just a wonderful support system.”
With a bright future ahead of them, both siblings attest to the certainty of a career waiting for them shortly after graduation. Cierra believes she will follow in her aunt’s footsteps and concentrate on blood banking, while Aidan is keeping an open mind.
“There is such a great need for people with this degree – every hospital, every clinic,” he said. “It’s just going to give me an open ticket to anywhere I want to go.”
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Go Miners!
For more information about the Clinical Laboratory Science program, please visit: https://www.utep.edu/chs/cls/
Photo courtesy of Cierra Hernandez