Xail Hernandez was born in a small border town between Nogales Arizona and Nogales Sonora. Xail was raised in Sonora where she learned her first English words helping in her mother’s business selling art, jewelry, dresses, blankets, pottery and many more crafts created from artists from all over Mexico. “Come in, take a look, good prices for you” was the most common phrase used in these border town curios where tourism thrived and sustained local business in Nogales Sonora. Through this experience Xail is well aware of the importance of supporting local and international artists that not only embody our beautiful Mexican culture but also share it with the rest of the world.
Later on, moved to Tucson Arizona where she got her bachelor's degree in Anthropology. She became an Americorps member in Pima Community College Adult Education in where she later became an instructor. In the summer of 2019, Xail came to Chicago to pursue a master’s program in Education, Social and Society at Depaul university in the college of education. She completed her degree while being a full time employee at Working Bikes. She worked as the Community Bike Repairs Manager in Working Bikes where she manages bicycle repairs, leads mechanic training programs for youth and adults and is constantly shaping the Service Department as a reliable community resource. She was able to deepen bicycle mechanics by giving the opportunity to everyone in the community to be exposed to bicycles mechanics making bicycle riding a more sustainable form of transportation and tool of empowerment. |
Thomas Barreto Cullen |
Vivian Garcia |