Laura Hernandez

Laura Hernandez (she/ella) is a bilingual educator who creates and develops virtual education experiences for K-5 students at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. She has a  passion for connecting students to animals and the natural world, as well as making animal science accessible to Spanish speakers.

She joined the Zoo education team in 2023 as an intern where she created lesson plans and facilitated nature-based programming for young children and caregivers for the new Little Critters Nature Play program. Previously, Laura was a development and volunteer manager for various social services agencies, raising nearly a million dollars in her tenure while fostering community through meaningful connections.

She has her Master of Arts in Teaching from George Washington University and holds a B.A. in Medical Anthropology from California State University, San Marcos.

Laura Hernandez will be speaking at the Digital Collections Summit 2025 :

Conservation Classroom: A Zoo’s Digital Education Collection

How does a Zoo create a digital collection? Find out as you explore Conservation Classroom, a digital education collection created at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. Conservation Classroom is an innovative virtual school program that uses multiple modes of digital media to engage K-5 students around the world in wildlife conservation. The program combines short videos, live webinars, and activities to create a suite of accessible digital resources for educators to use both synchronously and asynchronously with their students in the classroom.