Throughout the years women have broken boundaries and have placed their names in record books. Showing that they are not going to be silenced or be seen as weak. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, here are five powerful females that worked and clawed their way to the top.
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is an American Democratic representative that is known for beating a 10-term New York Democrat in the congressional primary and becoming the youngest woman to be elected to Congress in 2018. Born in the Bronx, New York, to working-class Puerto Rican parents. While she was majoring in Economics at Boston University, Ocasio-Cortez worked for Senator Ted Kennedy’s office and focused on immigration issues. After graduating, she became a community organizer. Sadly, after the 2008 financial crisis she lost her father and her family were faced with financial issues, so she stopped and helped her family to get them back on their feet. Until 2018, when she beat the 10 term Congressman Joe Crowley for New York’s 14th congressional district. Since then, she has fought and clawed her way for the rights of the minorities.
- Ellen Ochoa
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Ellen Ochoa is the first Hispanic women to become an astronaut for NASA in 1991. Born in Los Angeles, California to Hispanic-American parents (making her a second generation Hispanic-American). Before becoming a NASA astronaut, she went to university and received her bachelors from San Diego State University and her masters and doctorate degrees at Stanford University. Then, she was selected by NASA in 1990. She was a mission specialist and flight engineer, she was in four space flights, and had more than 950 hours in space. She has received multiple awards.
- SONIA SOTOMAYOR
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Sonia Sotomayor is the first Latina in the Supreme Court. Born in the South Bronx, New York to her Puerto Rican parents. Graduating from high school, Sotomayor attended Princeton University. She felt overwhelmed because she received low marks on her midterm paper, so she sought help in learning more English and writing courses. She joined different Puerto Rican groups to make her feel a sort of belongingness. At the end Sotomayor graduated with summa cum laude and was awarded with the highest academic award given to Princeton undergraduates, the Pyne Prize. After graduating Princeton, she went to Yale Law School, where she received her J.D and her bar. She began working as assistant district attorney in Manhattan, there she was responsible for the prosecuting robbery, assault, murder, police brutality and child pornography cases. From there she has grown, she became the U.S. District Court Judge in 1992 and by 1998 she became the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
- Dolores Huerta
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Dolores Huerta is an activist and labor leader, that has worked to improve social and economic conditions for farm workers and discrimination. Huerta was born in Dawson, New Mexico to her Mexican parents. When she was three her parents got divorced and her mother took Dolores and her brother to Stockton, California. Dolores was inspired to become an activist by her father, a union activist and New Mexico state legislator. Another factor that played a role in Dolores’s inspiration is her experience with racism against Mexican and Mexican Americans, especially those who worked on farms. Her racism happened at school when a teacher didn’t believe that Dolores was capable of ther own work and that she stole another student’s work; this was because the teacher based her off her ethnic origin. After graduating at Stockton High School in 1947, Dolores went and got married, but then got divorced. After years of having unsatisfying jobs, Dolores went back to school and got a teaching degree at Stockton College. Briefly she worked as an elementary school teacher, but then left due to the poor living conditions of her students (many of whom came from her exact background). In 1960, she started the Agricultural Workers Association, giving non-U.S. citizens the chance to get their American dream. To this day Huerta continues her efforts to improve the lives of workers, immigrants and women.
- Selena Quintanilla-Perez
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Known as the “Mexican Madonna,”, Selena Quintanilla-Perez became one of the fastest growing stars. Bringing a new genre into American music, Tejano music. Born in Lake Jackson, Texas to her Mexican parents. Selena’s talent was seen from a young age (6), from then her father Abraham Jr. started to teach his son Abraham III to play guitar and his daughter Suzette to play drums. When a financial crisis hit the family, Selena and her siblings formed a family band to play old Tejano hits for money. Playing at their family restaurant, weddings and parties. Due to Selena’s first language being English, she had to learn Spanish to reach their audience. They did gain a few fans, but it was short lived because the family restaurant failed and shut down. But the band was becoming more known, traveling all over the state (Texas). From there, Selena y Los Dinos kept on growing and reaching different audiences. One of her many dreams was to sing for American crowds, which became a reality in 1993. Working on her first English album, Selena felt on top of the world. Besides her music, Selena was passionate about opening a fashion and beauty store. By 1994, Selena’s passions came true by opening multiple boutiques that include a boutique, an in-house salon, and clothing store. Sadly, she was murdered very early in her career. Her memory, success, and legacy still live on till this day. Movies and documentaries have been made to show the success and hardships of Selena’s life.
Coming from similar backgrounds, these women have shown that anything is possible when you have heart and courage to go after what you want. This is just a small droplet to a vast ocean of strong and independent women that have made it big. But to pay homage and thanks to them for being leaders to young girls today, here is an intro to their story.