Hispanic Heritage Month profiles
 |  | jsc2006e41783-Anchondo
NAME: Ivan Alejandro Anchondo
TIME AT JSC: Eleven months. I transferred from NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, where I completed four years of service, including three co-op rotations.
ORGANIZATION: International Space Station Thermal Control Systems
POSITION TITLE: Flight controller
EDUCATION: Bachelor of science and master of science in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso
PLACE OF BIRTH: Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico
HERITAGE: Mexican
HOBBIES: Motorcycle riding, playing softball and the occasional poker game
WHAT DOES HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH MEAN TO YOU? Growing up in the rich Mexican culture of El Paso, Texas, it was easy to forget about how unique the things I am used to really are. It is always great to hear about one's culture and to bring about positive aspects that identify the Hispanic community in this nation.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT WORKING AT JSC? The uniqueness of the job we do. Some countries' positive icons are based on their great automobiles, their great electronics or their food, but we are known for our space program and JSC is in the driver's seat.
TELL US ONE UNIQUE/UNUSUAL THING ABOUT YOURSELF. I have crossed the sound barrier. While at NASA Dryden I got the unique opportunity to fly onboard an F/A-18 aircraft, and during the flight we flew supersonic.
FAVORITE WORDS OF WISDOM: “Your life will always be filled with challenges. It's best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway.” --Richard Carlson |
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 | | jsc2006e42715-Fowler
NAME: Barbara Ana Fowler
TIME AT JSC: 25 years
ORGANIZATION: International Space Station Vehicle Office
POSITION TITLE: FSE Sustaining Engineering Lead/Structures and Mechanism Integrator
EDUCATION: Bachelor of science in aerospace engineering from Texas A&M
PLACE OF BIRTH: New York City
HERITAGE: My parents are from Cuba.
HOBBIES: Swimming, reading, cross stitching, stained glass and scrapbooking
WHAT DOES HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH OBSERVANCE MEAN TO YOU? My parents raised me to be very proud of my Cuban heritage. It makes me pause and consider the great accomplishments made by Hispanics everywhere and grateful that my parents chose to immigrate here.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT WORKING AT JSC? The people. I have had the good fortune of having met and worked with some of the brightest and nicest folks.
FAVORITE WORDS OF WISDOM: ''Success is not measured by what you accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds.'' -Orison Swett Marden |
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 | | NAME: Christina Yvette Piña
TIME AT JSC: Two co-op tours (fall 2005 and current)
ORGANIZATION: White Sands Test Facility, hypervelocity
POSITION TITLE: Co-op student
EDUCATION: Currently studying for my bachelor’s in metallurgical and materials engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso
PLACE OF BIRTH: El Paso, Texas
HERITAGE: Both of my parents are part Mexican, and a little bit of this and that.
HOBBIES: Taking pictures, or anything where I get to spend time with my family (preferably outdoors)
WHAT DOES HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH MEAN TO YOU? To me, it is a reminder to be proud of where my family came from and how important my roots have been in creating the person I am. However, it also reminds me that everyone must continue to work towards a balance where our heritage is remembered, and still avoid creating boundaries between people of different heritages.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT WORKING AT JSC? I enjoy being part of an energetic team that believes nothing is impossible, like putting people in space or going to Mars. Everyone is always willing to help each other and it is an amazing feeling to believe that the work I do can contribute to space exploration.
TELL US ONE UNIQUE/UNUSUAL THING ABOUT YOURSELF. People tend to follow me as their leader, even though I have no sense of direction, whether it was in the forest or in the city. However, no matter where I lead people, I have never lost a person and we end up enjoying the journey, whether or not we make it to where we were going.
FAVORITE WORDS OF WISDOM: The poem “Courage and Fear” by Michael H. Pupkin. An excerpt:
“Sometimes when courage led me on / I’ve come up with a bruise / And many have been the challenges / Since fear and Courage met; And yet those times I’ve followed fear / Too often-tagged along regret.” |
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 | | jsc2006e42718-Saiz
NAME: John Saiz
TIME AT JSC: 17 Years
ORGANIZATION: Engineering Directorate -- Constellation Engineering Office
POSITION TITLE: Technology portfolio manager
EDUCATION: Bachelor of science in petroleum engineering from New Mexico Tech in 1985; master of science in mechanical engineering/heat transfer from the University of Houston in 1991
PLACE OF BIRTH: Albuquerque, New Mexico
HERITAGE: Hispanic -- born and raised in Albuquerque. My heritage traces back to native Mexican Americans and Spanish conquistadors who came to the New Mexico region beginning in the early 1600s.
HOBBIES: Leisure travel, reading (not exactly a ''hobby'' but I do enjoy it) and reading to, playing and joking around with our kids!
WHAT DOES HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH MEAN TO YOU? I think of my father, Emiliano Saiz. My dad grew up in rural Albuquerque, in a farming community called Alameda, which back then was very Hispanic and very Catholic. Growing up, I learned about the importance of family and close neighborhood relations. I recall times when we were out bailing hay in the alfalfa fields, people would always honk their car horns as they would drive by and we would always wave. I learned so many things from my father -- carpentry, agriculture, animal husbandry, stream fishing, all kinds of stuff that I am passing on to our kids. I learned how important it is to be grounded (in strong Catholic roots in my case) and above all, I learned how important it is to be a productive and thoughtful member of society. Thank you, Dad!
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT WORKING AT JSC? I love working with people to develop innovative technical solutions that support human spaceflight applications. There are so many smart and capable folks at this center and around the agency -- it is a pleasure working with them!
TELL US ONE UNIQUE/UNUSUAL THING ABOUT YOURSELF. I love to read about, travel to and experience different cultures. My endeavor to acquire more of a world perspective is particularly important in these times when, with the advent of high-speed digital communications, the world feels so much smaller. The trouble is, it only feels that way -- until you actually get out there and experience it first-hand and learn that life outside of our circle is not quite what we thought it was. I feel very fortunate to have the means to be able to participate with Natalie and our kids and learn from these experiences and share them with our family and friends.
FAVORITE WORDS OF WISDOM: I have two favorites:
1) ''Having thus chosen our course, without guile and with pure purpose, let us renew our trust in God, and go forward without fear and with manly hearts.'' -Abraham Lincoln
2) ''One thing you might consider is that the ‘Valley of Death’ is only for those projects that die. It is the ‘Mountain of Life’ to climb for the projects that live. The message being -- those who work together as a team actively climbing a mountain will more likely reach their goal than a team that is merely looking down at the valley below that they might slip into, and so proceed in fear of dying rather than [with the] expectation of reaching the top.'' -my friend and colleague George Studor |
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 | | jsc2006e42716-Saucedo
NAME: Veronica L. Saucedo
TIME AT JSC: My husband, Luis Saucedo, and I have transferred from Kennedy Space Center. We are both happy to be working for NASA here at JSC. We have both been working at JSC for about a year this October.
ORGANIZATION: Engineering Directorate, Systems Engineering and Integration Office
POSITION TITLE: AST - technical resources manager
EDUCATION: Bachelor of science in engineering from Texas A&M University at Kingsville; master of science in industrial engineering from the University of Central Florida
PLACE OF BIRTH: Kingsville, Texas
HERITAGE: Hispanic -- Mexican
HOBBIES: I love to read and am a beginner yoga student.
WHAT DOES HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH MEAN TO YOU? It is a fun opportunity for sharing my heritage (family history, traditions, values and food) with those who are interested or just curious.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT WORKING AT JSC? I have enjoyed the people and their sense of commitment to the work at hand. Since transferring from KSC, I have felt welcomed and have found everyone to be very supportive.
TELL US ONE UNIQUE/UNUSUAL THING ABOUT YOURSELF. In 1990, as a seventh-grader in little Kingsville, Texas, I helped plant and monitor tomato seeds that were subjected to weightlessness and cosmic radiation in space. The Space Exposed Experiment Developed for Students project was designed to compare the growth rates of the “space seeds” to regular seeds, and the project really made me take an interest in science. I was truly inspired by NASA. I feel that I am truly blessed to be involved in the space industry today and hope to inspire others to follow their dreams.
FAVORITE WORDS OF WISDOM: ''Imagination is more important than knowledge.'' -Albert Einstein |
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