By AnnaBella Fernandez '24
In 1993, the first Hispanic woman went to space, and this is her story. Ellen Ochoa grew up in La Mesa, California. Her father, from whom she inherited her Mexican roots, was always a significant inspiration to her. While reflecting on her childhood, she has expressed that she wishes her father had taught her Spanish when she was young, so she could embrace her heritage even more. However, he never taught her Spanish because he was afraid of the prejudice she would experience from speaking a foreign language, which is a hard decision many Latinx families make to protect their children.
As a little girl, being an astronaut was never seen as a possibility for women, but she broke those stereotypes and pursued her dreams nonetheless. She majored in Physics at the University of San Diego and graduated as Valedictorian in 1980, and she did not stop there. Wishing to further her education, Ellen Ochoa attended Stanford University in 1981, from which she graduated with both a Master’s and Doctorate degrees in electrical engineering.
Following her extensive education and three years of physically and mentally challenging training at NASA, she was selected to go on a real mission, becoming the first Hispanic woman to go to space. She has since received several recognitions, including the Hispanic Engineer Albert Baez Award for Outstanding Technical Contribution to Humanity in 1989, the National Hispanic Quincentennial Commission Pride Award in 1990 and the Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award.
Through her career and life, she has become an inspiration to Hispanic and Latinx children everywhere. As she expressed beautifully, “What everyone in the astronaut corps shares in common is not gender or ethnic background, but motivation, perseverance, and desire—the desire to participate in a voyage of discovery.”
Editors: Natalia Cseh, Cecilia Fiorindo, Ms. Brilliant.
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