Most 10-year-olds spend their free time playing video games, but Ernesto Gael Hernandez is busy running his own 3D printing business and dreaming of buying his mom a house someday. Ernesto / Credit: KRGV News What began as a fun way to make custom keychains for classmates has quickly grown into a thriving small business for the young entrepreneur from Brownsville, Texas. Now, with multiple printers running at once and products being sold in a local store, Ernesto is already turning creativity into success while most kids his age are still deciding what game to play after school.
Inside a small workshop at home, Ernesto spends his days designing and printing colorful creations including keychains, whistles, can openers, and fidget-style items meant to help people dealing with anxiety, ADHD, and stress. “I would wake up early and set something to print while I’m at school or after school,” Ernesto said. “Before football practice, I would also print something.” The idea first took shape just a few months ago when Ernesto told his mother he wanted to earn money through 3D printing. Instead of simply buying him a machine, she encouraged him to work and save for it himself. “My mom said that I could save up my chore money and buy my own 3D printer with my money,” Ernesto explained.
After saving $500, Ernesto bought his first printer and launched Prestige 3D Labs. He taught himself how to create custom designs by watching online tutorials and quickly realized there was real demand for his products. “I saw tutorials on YouTube on how to edit and make custom keychains for other people,” he said. Business has grown fast. Ernesto says he has already made around $1,500 in profit, and demand became so strong that he partnered with a local Brownsville clothing store called Jungle to help sell his creations. “The business is called Jungle and I wanted to sell my product there,” Ernesto said.
“I told them if they wanted to sell my product.” Now, three printers run regularly to keep up with orders coming in from across the Rio Grande Valley. For Ernesto’s mother, Samantha Quezada, the business has become more than just a way for her son to earn money. It has also become valuable time spent together. “It’s a handful, but honestly I enjoy that we get to do it together,” Quezada said. “It is part of our quality time.” She admits balancing school, football practice, and a growing business can sometimes be stressful, but she believes the experience is teaching Ernesto lessons that will last a lifetime.
“As tiring as it may be, sometimes it’s a little bit stressful. Time management is hard,” she said. “But it’s been one thing that we enjoy doing. We get to do it together and it keeps him on the right path.” And while Ernesto is already enjoying success at an age when many kids are just beginning to explore hobbies, his motivation is surprisingly heartfelt. “I just like doing it because I want to invest in a house for my mom and me when I grow older,” Ernesto said.
Keepers at a safari park say they are excited to care for a trio of maned wolves. The new additions at Longleat Estate, Wiltshire, are the first of their species to live at the…
Four days of extreme rain and landslides in the Indonesian island of Sumatra have pushed the world’s most endangered great apes even closer to extinction, says a study. Research suggests that 58 of less…
This moment in history is not meaningless, it is merciful. Every sunrise is another opportunity for salvation and surrender. “ And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as…
Deterrents, deer hunting or trapping, and even deer birth control are among the options city officials are considering to lower the deer population in Beverly Hills. “First and foremost problem we have is safety–…
Five Mexican police officers were shot dead and five others wounded Wednesday in violence-hit Michoacan state on the eve of the World Cup opener in Mexico City, local authorities said. The officers were attacked…
Convicted killer Karmelo Anthony’s family used fundraiser money for moving and living expenses. Karmelo Anthony will serve his sentence while it appears the fundraising campaign for his family organized by his mother, Kala Hayes,…
The world’s largest whale graveyard has been discovered at the bottom of the Indian Ocean by Chinese scientists, who found that the vast expanse of both new and ancient carcasses supports huge communities of…
Tularemia has been detected in Northern Colorado after a dead rabbit was discovered in a Berthoud neighborhood. According to Larimer County Department of Health and Environment, the bacteria was identified in a dead rabbit. …
Multiple high-end cars participating in the 2026 Hot Rod Power Tour were damaged, and some were stolen from a hotel parking lot in Joliet, Illinois, early Tuesday. Police said officers responded to the hotel’s…
Last October, Pennsylvania announced plans to bring “glamping,” or luxury camping, to several state parks, including Laurel Hill State Park in Somerset County. But now, some of those plans have been put on hold. …
One must wonder whether President Trump’s least discriminating critics have ever read the fable of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” — or at least whether, if they have, they understood that it was not an…
A total of seven men have now been sentenced to prison for their roles in the violent protests that broke out in Southampton last week in the wake of the killing of Henry Nowak.…
For the second time this year, public health staff said a bird in Ventura County tested positive for West Nile virus. The Ventura County Environmental Health Division announced the discovery on Tuesday after receiving…
While condemning a “bad actors” causing trouble, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the vast majority of protestors in Belfast have rational concerns and want common-sense change the government is denying them. The United…
Individuals were exposed to a fox that tested positive for rabies in Baltimore’s Roland Park on Tuesday, according to City Health Department officials. Two foxes tested positive, and Animal Control believes five others in…
A Manhattan public school is treating parents and teachers as “separate” but equal. The P.S. 003 Charrette School in the West Village is hosting a workshop for parents and staffers that separate them into…
If you’ve noticed fewer mosquitoes so far this year, you’re not imagining it. “Boring year so far,” said Alex Carlson, public affairs manager with the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District. He says dry conditions have…
You may not have strength for tomorrow, but God promises enough grace for today. One step at a time, He will carry you forward. “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their…
Pip: If you have ever wondered whether your brain and your soul could both use the same workout, Drink of Jesus may have found the overlap. Mara: This episode covers two territories: why consistent…
WASHINGTON — Congress has finally passed a $70 billion funding bill for federal immigration enforcement on Tuesday, putting to rest a four-month fight over the fate of President Trump’s mass deportations agenda. House Republicans,…
A Collin County jury found Karmelo Anthony guilty of murder in the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a Frisco ISD track meet, bringing an end to a closely watched trial that drew national…
Washington — The Senate on Friday blocked an extension of a key warrantless surveillance program used by U.S. intelligence agencies, meaning Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act will expire on June 12…
Washington — House Democrats, with the help of several Republicans, bypassed GOP leadership on Tuesday to force a successful vote on legislation that would accelerate negotiations on newly-formed unions’ first collective bargaining agreements. The…
Johannesburg — More than 10 suspects got out of a minibus and moved through a poor neighborhood near South Africa’s biggest city while shooting at residents in a late-night attack that killed at least…
A man was arrested in San Jose for multiple sexual batteries of women, and investigators believe there may be more victims, police said. In a press release Tuesday, the San Jose Police Department said…
A high school classroom aide was arrested in San Jose last week after he allegedly engaged in inappropriate behavior with two underage female students. One week before the arrest, the San José Police Department…
Law enforcement officers arrested a man in south Minneapolis Tuesday evening following an hourslong standoff. The deputies were attempting to serve an arrest warrant for 31-year-old Tyler Joseph O’Brien around 11:30 a.m. at an…
Nearly 90 people were arrested after dozens of sports cars were towed from the Los Angeles River in the Cypress Park neighborhood on Sunday evening. LAPD officers said that they, along with personnel from…
When life turns up the heat, your faith isn’t falling apart, it’s being revealed. What feels like pressure is actually God proving that what He placed in you can’t be destroyed. Bible Verse:In this…
Director Steven Spielberg suggested during a Sunday interview that his new film about extraterrestrials might raise theological questions among some Christians regarding the nature of the cosmos. Speaking with Turner Classic Movies host Ben…
You must be logged in to post a comment.