You are invited to La Gala on Friday, November 1 to celebrate and support Hacienda’s impact and our beautiful and diverse community!
La Gala, presented by LMC Construction, is our gift to you: an unforgettable evening to gather with everyone and celebrate what we’ve achieved together.
On Friday, November 1, we will gather together at the Hyatt Regency Portland with Día de los Muertos-themed activities. During our program we will enjoy a Latino-inspired 3-course meal as we hear from Hacienda leaders and welcome keynote speaker, José M. Hernández, a Mexican-American former NASA astronaut and engineer.
Mark your calendars now to enjoy una noche maravillosa with friends, family and our Hacienda community.
Save the date––more information will be shared soon!
We are excited to see you there!
¡Será un gusto verlos allí!
Our Keynote Speaker: José M. Hernandez
NASA engineer Jose Hernandez wanted to fly in space ever since he heard that the first Latino had been chosen to travel into space: Franklin Chang-Diaz. Hernandez was a senior in high school at the time, and he knew it was a bold wish. He was one of four children in a migrant farming family from Mexico – he spent much of his childhood traveling with his family from Mexico to southern California, working northward to the Stockton area picking strawberries and cucumbers at farms along the route. Then they would return to Mexico for Christmas and start the cycle all over again come spring.
Although he learned to speak English at 12, after graduating high school Hernandez enrolled at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, where he 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.
Later, during the astronaut application process, Hernandez finally came face-to-face with his original inspiration: Franklin Chang-Diaz. Hernandez has always been grateful for the gift he received from Mr. Chang Diaz, because seeing the achievement of someone with a similar upbringing and the same language issues strengthened his confidence enough to achieve his own dream of becoming an astronaut earning multiple recognitions along the way. Now his story has been told in the 2023 film, A Million Miles Away.
Jose Hernandez was able to reach outer space because another person made the greater journey of reaching his spirit and inspiring him. Now it’s his turn.
“Tenacity is a superpower.”
- Kalpana Chawla
Thank you to our sponsors!
PRESENTING SPONSOR
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