If you ever need a reminder that purpose can grow from even the toughest chapters of life, just spend five minutes talking to Valeria Martinez Hernandez. An Army veteran, a mom, a full-time student and a future cybercrime fighter. She carries herself with the quiet strength of someone who’s seen the world at its worst and decided to make it better anyway.

Valeria’s journey began the moment she stepped into military life, a world she quickly realized wasn’t the heroic action movie many might imagine. Instead, she saw firsthand how vulnerable young soldiers could be and how easily their dreams could be manipulated through abuse of power by higher-ups, something Valeria says she witnessed far too often.

“It didn’t take long at all to witness and experience how easy it happens over a weekend,” she shared, remembering how quickly innocence could be exploited.

But what stood out most wasn’t just what she saw, it was how it shaped her. Where others might grow hardened, Valeria grew determined. And in true “if no one is going to fix it, I will” fashion, she carried that determination close long after she left active duty.

The turning point for Valeria came after watching The Sound of Freedom in 2023. With a seven-year-old daughter of her own, the film struck a nerve. Valeria says she could not imagine having to face such horrors, especially being a mother to a little one. She said she literally had to run off the emotions for 30 minutes straight, notably faster than she had since her military days. And somewhere between those steps, a new purpose took shape.

She realized she wanted to use the technical skills she’d been building in cybersecurity to protect the most vulnerable.

“I was wondering for a long time what good I can do in the world with cybersecurity skills,” she said.

A few heartfelt conversations with God and, as she casually mentions, ChatGPT, made things clearer: she wanted to help find missing children and bring criminals to justice. And what better place to train for that mission than Houston, one of the largest hubs for trafficking cases in the country.

That’s how she found her way to Houston Christian University. As she searched for programs, HCU jumped out as one of the few Houston schools offering a full four-year Cybersecurity degree. She applied, was accepted just days later, and is now officially on her path to becoming the kind of ethical hacker whose goal is to protect the lives of innocent children.

Today, Valeria is pursuing her undergraduate degree in Cybersecurity with a minor in Spanish because being multilingual makes her future mission even stronger. Between classes, parenting and career prep, she sure has no shortage of responsibilities, but she stays grounded in faith and fiercely focused on what comes next.

Her dream is to work with agencies like the FBI or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, her purpose is to protect children across Central and North America, and her heart is exactly where it’s always been, set on helping those who can’t help themselves.

Valeria’s story may have started in uniform, but her mission is only just beginning. And if her past is any indication, she’s going to make an impact that stretches far beyond the classroom.