When Ruth Hernandez watched testimonies of Holocaust survivors in IWitness, the stories of people who had to leave their homes inspired her to help modern-day immigrants – and helped her connect with her own family’s history.

Hernandez’s video Voices of Our Journey is the winner of the 2013 IWitness Video Challenge. The USC Shoah Foundation invited students from all over North America to be inspired by testimonies in IWitness and to use their innovation and creativity to create positive value in their communities by doing something ordinary (or extraordinary) and then build a video telling the story about how they contributed to making their communities a better place.

Hernandez will receive an all-expense-paid trip with one parent or guardian, and her teacher, to screen her video as part of the USC Shoah Foundation's 20th anniversary activities in Los Angeles, as well as attend the 2014 Annual USC Shoah Foundation Gala as invited guests.

Hernandez, who attends Esperanza Academy Charter High School in Philadelphia, said testimonies of Holocaust survivors like Leo Fettman who were forced to leave their homes, either to flee to safety on the Kindertransport or relocate to ghettos, were especially memorable for her. Her own family came to the United States from El Salvador, and her father was formerly undocumented.

“That is really hard to just leave your home and all you have. [World War II] was hard for many people and it affected many lives,” Hernandez said. “I am thankful that I live with my family.”

This topic of immigration was important to her because a lot of her family members had to go through this process and are still going through this process, she said.  Hernandez’s father, who appears in the video, always told her she was blessed to have been born in the United States, but it was hard for her to understand what he meant.

“This subject had been a part of me and I wanted to try to understand it more,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez decided to participate in a protest for immigration reform held by the New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia, which helps undocumented immigrants and works to end injustice against immigrants in the United States. She and some friends made posters, and Hernandez announced the event in her church.

“Being part of the protest and being there to support people who are fighting to stop deportation meant a lot to me,” Hernandez said. “It was raining that day and I think it showed how determined we were and how important it is. It felt great and I am so glad I got to be part of it.”

Completing the IWitness Video Challenge helped her appreciate the problems that other people face in their lives and the work that others, like the New Sanctuary Movement, are doing to help them.

“It feels great to help other with their battles while learning from their experiences,” Hernandez said. “Even with such a small action you can make great differences. I will never forget the new people I have met and how they are changing the community.”