National Hispanic Heritage Month
By: Ariana Bui
Every year, September 15th through October 15th marks Hispanic Heritage month - a time to celebrate and honor the rich history, culture, and contributions of Hispanics in the United States. To commemorate this year's Hispanic heritage month, I would like to recognize the many contributions of Hispanics in STEM and their importance to the scientific community specifically.
There are many amazing Hispanic figures in science, however, one noteworthy figure to highlight is Dr. Ellen Ochoa. She originally joined NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) in 1988 as a research engineer for the Ames Research Center then moved to the Johnson Space Center in 1990. However, what she is most widely known for is becoming the first Hispanic woman to go to Space. From 1993 to 2002 she would go on four space missions, each time utilizing her knowledge of physics and engineering to study items spanning from atmospheric changes to space station design.
Over the years, Dr. Ochoa made many scientific contributions to research, but she also excelled in leadership and would go on to hold many managerial positions. She would serve as deputy center director and director of flight crew operations at the Johnson Space Center. In 2013 she eventually became the 11th director of the Johnson Space Center making history as the first Hispanic director and second female director. Overall, Dr. Ochoa has made many amazing achievements in science and deserves recognition.
“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”
With her motivation and perseverance, Dr. Ochoa is an excellent role model for young Latinas. Despite originally being rejected twice by NASA when applying to be an astronaut, she did not give up. She demonstrates that anyone can be a scientist, no matter their gender or ethnicity.
Dr. Ochoa can be quoted “I tell students that the opportunities I had were a result of having a good educational background. Education is what allows you to stand out.” This idea by Ochoa aligns with our mission at CGEST - to actively drive the discourse and experiences of underrepresented girls in STEM by owning, generating, and critiquing the collective body of scholarship on, and offering culturally responsive programs for girls of color and STEM education. Like Dr. Ochoa we also believe in the importance of providing educational opportunities for those interested in STEM, and it is the reason we have programs such as CompuGirls and Girls In Tech. Hopefully, by holding these educational outreach programs, we will help provide young girls, especially those who are in underrepresented and under-resourced communities, the tools to succeed in STEM.
Overall, Dr. Ochoa is only one of many Hispanic figures in STEM deserving of recognition. Over the years Hispanics have contributed to many achievements in science and technology. Sadly, however, Hispanics and especially Latinas have historically been underrepresented in STEM. Hopefully, by recognizing and celebrating Hispanic achievements we will be able to inspire more Hispanics to make their mark in STEM. To check out some more awesome Hispanic innovators and role models visit this list by PBS or article by GlobalVoices.
Written by:
Ariana Bui
Barrett Fellow Scholar
Computer Science
