Born in Tucson, Arizona, Alma Hernandez is the youngest of three children. She grew up in a non-religious family but was drawn to Judaism during her high school years upon learning that her maternal grandfather was of Jewish descent. As a freshman in high school, Hernandez was involved in a fight between two other older students; the police intervened and forced her to the ground, causing permanent spinal damage. This experience sparked her interest in politics. Hernandez earned a Bachelor of Science in Care, Health, and Society and a Masters of Public Health from the University of Arizona. There, she served as the President of CatPAC Wildcats for Israel and was involved in Hillel. Hernandez received further public health training from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. As part of her humanitarian work as a Public Health professional, Hernandez traveled to Ghana in 2012 and Panama in 2014, helping to provide health services through free clinics. The following year, Hernandez officially converted to Judaism. She later served as a delegate for Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention and as the chair of the College Young Democrats of Arizona. On January 14, 2019, Hernandez became the first Jewish Latina lawmaker ever elected, serving in the Arizona House of Representatives representing District 3; when elected at the age of 25, she was the youngest legislator in Arizona. Hernandez has used her position of power to advocate for the Jewish community: in the wake of antisemitic attacks on two Tucson synagogues in 2021, she spoke out on Twitter, and in July 2021 she helped pass a bill that made Holocaust education mandatory in Arizona public schools. Hernandez’s Latina identity is also key to her activism. Through Tucson Jews for Justice, an organization she helped found, in 2018 she coordinated delivery of essential items to families in Nogales, a small town on the Mexican border where her mother is from. As of 2023, Hernandez still serves in the Arizona House of Representatives.