Born in Los Angeles and raised in La Mesa, California, Ellen Ochoa was the first Hispanic woman to go into space. After earning her doctorate in designing from Stanford University, Ochoa joined NASA in 1988 as an examination engineer and was chosen to be a space explorer in 1990. Her first mission in space was on board the Shuttle Discovery in 1993. She proceeded to serve three additional missions, going through just about 1,000 hours in orbit. Ochoa was the eleventh director of the Johnson Space Center and the middle’s first Hispanic chief. Her historic firsts put her in incredible organization with other ladies who changed the world. Ellen’s confidence and persistence led her to become NASA’s first Hispanic female astronaut. As an astronaut, Ellen has gone on four space missions. With each mission, Ellen used her physics and engineering knowledge to study different things ranging from atmosphere changes to space station design. Ochoa has received many awards among which are NASA’s Distinguished Service Medal (2015), Exceptional Service Medal (1997), Outstanding Leadership Medal (1995) and Space Flight Medals (2002, 1999, 1994, 1993).  Ochoa is a Fellow of AAAS, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the National Academy of Inventors.  She has become a role model for young women and has made a big impact for the Hispanics and women today.