By Emily Soriano
Westbury High School
Lisseth Hernandez isn’t just someone who enjoys writing. The 17-year-old from Central Islip has found comfort, resilience and expression through words.
Whether it’s writing in journals, drafting a short story or helping Central Islip High School’s newspaper, writing has become more than a hobby.
“Writing to me is my escapism,” she said, noting that “writing is another world” that allows her to seep into topics she finds important.
“Writing to me is my escapism.”
– Lisseth Hernandez
This summer, Lisseth has joined the Robert W. Greene Summer Institute for High School Journalists at Stony Brook University, where she wants to improve her writing skills. Plus, “I want our school’s work in writing to get more recognition,” she said.
Lisseth will be entering her senior year as the Newspaper Club treasurer and public relations manager. She is also active in the Literary Club, women’s group, a community service and advocacy group, and runs on the cross-country team.
At first, “newspaper was just the club I joined my freshman year looking to be involved in but never imagined how much I’d love it,” she said. Lisseth edits articles, conducts interviews and writes commentaries “about school events like our cultural night, musical, club features and just about anything I find interesting.”
She started an alumni spotlight series and shares posts and videos to social media.
Her path to the Green Institute started with two important mentors who Lisseth calls her “second parents”: Rahana Schmalacker, her former English teacher and current newspaper adviser, and Darren Ehrhardt, her tech teacher and stage crew adviser. “Without them, I wouldn’t have the confidence I have now.”
Lisseth has overcome significant personal challenges to achieve her goals. She has lived with depression and mild psychotic tendencies, including hallucinations that once left her terrified and isolated. “I started to hear voices of people I knew calling my name or whispering things I couldn’t understand. It went on for months,” she said.
Eventually, she turned for comfort to Schmalacker, who provided her with important guidance and reassurance. That turned out to be a turning point in her life.
“I got a new perspective: if I could work through my issues that left me unable to ask for help, I could find a way to give voice to others that couldn’t,” Lisseth said.
On her personal social media platforms, Lisseth encourages people to speak out about their beliefs pertaining to recent social and civil rights issues.
“Ultimately, hardship is always the biggest motivator to keep pushing forward,” she said.
Her support system includes her parents, Melvin Hernandez and Lissett Hernandez Cruz, and two younger sisters, Allison, 14, and Genesis, 9. “They encourage me to explore my interests and are proud I’m going into this program,” she said.
Lisseth’s best friend, Kamila Sarmiento Romero, said “writing has given Lisseth an outlet to talk about her experiences and bring awareness to issues that have personally plagued her and her community. It gives her a voice in a place and an environment where it is so easy to feel voiceless.”
For Lisseth, journalism isn’t just about reporting facts. It’s about hope, connection and finding light in the darkest moment. “If I can keep pushing through the barriers in my own head, then I know I can give a voice to someone else who feels they can’t speak up.”
Lisseth said she’s determined to keep writing because “it’s helped me build confidence. It’s like a gateway into a lot of what makes me good in conversation, too.”