Ellen Ochoa

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 through October 15, The Cardinal will feature prominent and historical Hispanic Americans, living or dead, who have worked toward change, advancement, and/or world peace. Some of them are heroes, and some are unsung heroes who deserve recognition, and have made a contribution to society.

Nathalia Truong, Staff Writer

October 3, 2025

Ellen Ochoa is a significant woman, who’s widely celebrated in Hispanic culture as she was the first Hispanic woman to travel into space. Ochoa was born on May 10th, 1958, in Los Angeles, California. Growing up, she has always excelled in her academics, which led her to being an engineer.

As an engineer, she co-invented patents for optical systems. Though she has done plenty of research and contributed to society as an engineer, her most prominent and impactful work was as an astronaut. Ochoa traveled into space in 1993, specifically on April 8th. What sparked Ochoa’s interest in space was seeing Sally K. Ride, the first American woman to go to space. This inspired Ochoa as seeing a woman in such a male dominated field, gave her the courage and bravery in herself that she too, could do it.

While Ochoa was aboard the space shuttle, she served as a mission specialist. She later went on plenty more flights, operating in different positions. Her strong background in engineering gave her the ability to succeed as well as she did. For example, she operated the shuttle’s remote manipulator system, completed installations, and captured satellites. Despite her hard work and resilience, she still faced challenges in her space journey. One of her biggest obstacles was her rejections from NASA. Ochoa applied to NASA’s training program three times before she got accepted. She became an official U.S. astronaut in July 1991.

She continued to work hard despite being turned away. Ochoa was persistent in accomplishing her dreams. In addition to showing the world her contributions, she opened eyes and brought many together. Like Ochoa said, “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.”

About the Contributor

Nathalia Truong, Staff Writer

Nathalia Truong is a senior at Hoover High School who cannot wait to graduate and start her life. Though she’s a sentimental person who constantly feels nostalgia, graduating and starting a new chapter in her life is something she acknowledges is a positive thing. Time flies by fast and change is something she struggles with. By the time she graduates, she hopes to have accepted all sorts of change.

Consistent things in Nathalia’s life are music and cinema. She simply can’t imagine life without music. On campus, her airpods are always in, even when she’s doing a small task, she’d have music blasting in the background. She spends a lot of her “bedrotting time” watching movies and shows. Films bring her a sense of comfort that nothing else can replicate. Because this is Nathalia’s last year of high school, she plans to do as much as possible, and to really capture fun memories that will last a lifetime.

She plans to go to college after high school. Whether it be a university or community college, she still wants to obtain a degree in something she’s passionate about and can support her financially. Once her future is stable, Nathalia wants to travel all over the world. Try new foods, meet new people, experience new things. She has always loved traveling and has been on her fair share of airplanes. She wants to see what the world has to offer. A lot of her fondest memories are when she was traveling, she hopes to make more.