Hola! I’m Sher.
muchas gracias for your interest in my creative journey! 
Whether you stumbled upon this page while looking for my bio to be copied and pasted somewhere, or you chanced upon one of my articles from Google search and asked yourself, “who is this girl?”, or you’re just stalking me (hi!), here you go:
Sherlyn Mae Hernandez is currently an Assistant Professor of International Studies and Southeast Asian Studies from Manila, Philippines. Her academic research interests include (1) ASEAN and the International Relations of Southeast Asia, (2) War and Terrorism Studies and Nuclear Non-Proliferation, (3) Photography and Conflict, (4) the Politics of Oil-Exporting Nations, and (5) Art and Politics. Lately, she’s been developing a huge interest in Post-Soviet Studies and the Politics of the Former Yugoslavia.
She has been pursuing photography both as a passion project and side hustle since 2011, and she specializes in travel and street photography. She has photographed destinations and the streets of several towns and cities around the Philippines, Northeast, Southeast, and West Asia, and Eastern Europe. She loves getting to know a place by observing local markets, street art, and the overall existing human conditions. She has been slowly trying to learn and venture out into creating short avant-garde/experimental films and creating mixed-media art. You may find here travel journals, photographs, videos, and other art at www.sherlynmaehernandez.com.
The best way you can reach me is to send me an email at sherlynmaehernandez@gmail.com or leave your email address here:
Where are you from?
Manila, Philippines
What’s your educational background?
Bachelor of Arts Major in Political Science, Cum Laude, De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines
Master in International Studies, University of the Philippines, Diliman
Where can we find you outside the university?
You might find me sitting in a cafe, writing random stuff in this blog, editing photos from my past trips, interviewing some people about all things travel or life, or reading some book (most likely a classic or historical fiction). In between, I’m surely traveling somewhere.
Why do you like to travel?
To take photographs, learn more about and understand the world, find creative inspirations, develop empathy, collect memories, eat different kinds of food.
Who are your creative inspirations?
For travel goals, being an artist, and creativity, that would be the late Anthony Bourdain. For filmmaking, I love the style of Wes Anderson, Ken Burns, and Tim Kellner. For journalism, it will always be Christiane Amanpour. For street photography, Vivian Maier and Diane Arbus will be my best picks.
Any general advice you could give to anyone?
Don’t underestimate the power of sleep, you don’t need to comply to society’s ‘rules’, travel (obviously), be offline more often, document memories (whether through photos, videos, or journals), spend time with nature, read books, and whatever benefits people attach to social media, it’s never gonna do you good.
What are your favorite books?
Tough question! I like to read Nordic Noir novels, Fredrik Backman’s books, and classics. I recommend books by Susan Sontag, Albert Camus, Andy Warhol, Shirley Jackson, Anton Chekhov, and Fyodor Dostoevsky.
Are you pursuing any creative projects right now?
I’m still struggling to organize and upload my street photography portfolio in this website, so there’s that. And let me get back to you on this later.