Kristin Nash, MPH
Oct 2, 2023
We caught up with Juan to learn more about how the William G. Nash Social Impact grant helped him deliver on his mission.
Part of our 2022 grant cohort, Juan Maya Hernandez is a true change-maker with a mission to empower immigrant students to achieve better career outcomes and start their own businesses.
Juan’s Mission
Juan applied for the grant with the goal of launching an online knowledge platform “PREPARE” to help immigrant students navigate issues related to higher education, internship, career opportunities, and starting their own businesses. Through the platform, PREPARE aimed to enable students to submit questions anonymously and receive vetted answers from others with similar life experience. With the support of the William G. Nash Social Impact grant, along with the support and mentorship available, Juan worked to bring this vision to life.
Launching PREPARE
While the initial idea for on online hub/knowledge platform still is integral to his vision, in Juan’s own words,
“Last year, I believed that the best way [to help students] was to find organizations that are willing to hire immigrants/immigrant students. However, now I realize that the better approach is to help create the next generation of immigrant entrepreneurs. I believe that making it easier for them start a business will open opportunities for them to make more money but will also open jobs to millions of immigrants that need them.”
What Next?
In service of his mission, Juan runs business bootcamps for immigrant students, is working with his brother on launching an online entrepreneurship course for undocumented people, and can be found at his YouTube and TikTok pages where he publishes regular advice for immigrants on entrepreneurship and online marketing.
Juan let us know about the impact the support of the William G. Nash Foundation had on his mission.
“The grant has made me launch the first iterations of my business. It has also helped with reassurance. When I applied, I wasn’t sure if there were organizations out there that saw my vision, but this was one of my first opportunities that helped me see otherwise. This grant allowed me to work with team members and learn so much about managing people and collaborating with others. Thank you for believing in me and for helping me make the first steps towards achieving my dream of helping the immigrant community get more jobs.”
Follow Juan's Journey:
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jmayahern
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JMayaHern
About the William G. Nash Social Impact Grant Program
The William G. Nash Social Impact Grant program seeks to support college student run businesses with grants of between $2,500 - $7,500, support and mentorship to help them expand and grow.
Your business can be at any stage from idea, through to up and running and we particularly look to support those whose businesses have the potential to impact society in a positive way.
The main criteria for funding include: 1) you and/or others on your team is/are a student or recent graduate and 2) your business makes some type of social impact. Applications for the 2024 grant cycle will begin soon. Please feel free to reach out to info@williamgnash.org with any questions about the application process.
We are proud to honor Will’s legacy by supporting young changemakers and their visions for impact. And we look forward to receiving your application!