José Hernández said his dream of becoming an astronaut began when, at night, he would be out in the California fields he and his family worked looking up to the sky.

    “You could see all the stars from there,” he said. “I would ask myself, ‘How would it be to be up there?’”

    Forty years later, Hernandez realized his dream of becoming one of the few astronauts of Mexican descent, when he was part of a space shuttle mission to the International Space Station that launched in August, 2009.

    Although his family supported his dreams, and his dedication and effort played an important role in his success, Hernández said that he couldn’t have done this without having participated in Student Support Services at the University of the Pacific in his hometown of Stockton, where he completed his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.

    In Student Support Services, a federal TRIO program that provides academic support for low-income, first-generation college students, Hernández found academic, financial, and emotional support during his studies.

    Earlier this month, Hernández was the keynote speaker at the opening plenary session during the Council for Opportunity in Education’s (COE) 29th Annual Conference, held in Downtown San Diego.

    “Astronaut Hernández has had a distinguished career, and he is a brilliant example of the contributions TRIO alumni have made to public service,” said COE President Arnold L. Mitchem. “Unfortunately, many students with his potential don’t receive the training and support necessary early in their schooling to pursue a scientific career.”

    This year’s conference theme was “Fitting STEM into the College Opportunity Equation,” which focuses on increasing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) educational opportunity for low-income and first-generation students. The event featured nearly 100 enriching networking and educational sessions along with an exhibit hall displaying the newest and best products and services available to college opportunity professionals.

    So Hernández’s story of tenacity was inspiring for the many educators who attended the conference.

    One of four children in a migrant farming family from Mexico, Hernández worked alongside his family and other farm workers throughout the fields of California, harvesting crops and moving from one town to another.  He attended many schools and didn’t learn to speak English until he was 12. After graduating from high school in Stockton, Hernández enrolled at the University of the Pacific in Stockton. Hernández earned a degree in electrical engineering and was awarded a full scholarship to the graduate program at the University of California in Santa Barbara, where he continued his engineering studies. 

    In 1987, he accepted a full-time job with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where he had worked on developing quantitative x-ray film imaging analysis techniques for the x-ray laser program. In 2001, Hernández joined the Johnson Space Center, in Houston, Texas as a materials research engineer, and he completed astronaut candidate training in 2006. In 2001, COE named him a TRIO Achiever, a national award which honors former TRIO participants for their professional accomplishments.

    Hernández encouraged the educators to never give up on any student.

    “Please always keep telling your students that they can achieve anything they want. It does make a difference in them, even though you might feel it doesn’t, believe: I am proof of this,” he said.

    Hernández said that his farmworkers parents always emphasized the importance of education, and with the support of encouraging teachers, including his second grade teacher, Ms. Young, he was able to achieve all his goals.