An Inspiring American Story-Astronaut Jose Hernandez

Every once in a while, I read a story so inspiring, it renews my belief that the American Dream is alive and well.  Jose Hernandez is one such inspiring story.  The California-born son of Mexican migrant workers from Michoacan, Jose grew up picking cucumbers and tomatoes in the San Joaquin Valley.

As a kid, he excelled in math, and eventually became an astronaut after earning degrees in engineering.  Now a celebrity in Mexico, he recently appeared on Mexican television following a space shuttle voyage.  Jose was quoted as advocating for immigration reform and the legalization of the millions of undocumented immigrants in the U.S.

Apparently, NASA didn’t take too kindly to Jose’s remarks and tried to reign him in.  Hernandez responded as quoted in the The Los Angeles Times: “I work for the U.S. government, but as an individual I have a right to my personal opinions…[h]aving 12 million undocumented people here means there’s something wrong with the system, and the system needs to be fixed.”

Thank you, Jose, for telling it like it is and for inspiring millions of other immigrants and children of immigrants to pursue their dreams.

Tags: astronaut, immigration reform, jose hernandez, Mexico, Michoacan, NASA
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