As a Hispanic woman in STEM, Ellen Lauri Ochoa is no stranger to being a trailblazer.
With an affinity for science and a commitment to her education, Ochoa received a bachelor of science and a master of science from the University of San Diego and eventually a doctorate in electrical engineering from Stanford University. She immediately put her specialized skills to good use, working as a research engineer and landing three patents for optical systems she co-invented.
It was in 1993, however, that she experienced a “first” much larger than her own story, one that would solidify her place in history books — becoming the first Hispanic woman in space. The nine-day space mission was just one of four, as she went on to log nearly 1,000 hours in space.
But she wasn’t done making history quite yet.
In 2012, Ochoa become the first Hispanic and second woman to serve as the director of the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. This, along with her long list of other accomplishments, have led to numerous awards and accolades, including NASA’s Distinguished Service Medal, the Harvard Foundation Science Award, and the Women in Aerospace Outstanding Achievement Award. Four schools have also been named in her honor.
While Ochoa has certainly paved the way for those who will come after, she also believes she was lucky to become an astronaut at a time when women were more prevalent in the field. In an interview with Amazing Kids Magazine, she explains, “I was fortunate that women had been members of the astronaut corps for a dozen years when I joined…In the last 20 years, we’ve seen the first woman pilot and command a Space Shuttle, and the first woman command an International Space Station expedition. There’s no job in the astronaut corps that women haven’t done and continue to do.”
Read the rest of the interview with trailblazer, Ellen Lauri Ochoa: http://mag.amazing-kids.org/non-fiction/interviews/amazing-mentor/amazing-mentor-interview-with-dr-ellen-ochoa/