<p>The inspiring subject of the Prime film, <em>A Million Miles Away</em>, José Hernández shares stories from his extraordinary journey from migrant farm worker to NASA astronaut, empowering audiences to persevere in challenging environments and to achieve their greatest goals. </p><p>NASA engineer José Hernández wanted to fly in space ever since he heard that the first Hispanic-American had been chosen to travel into space. "I was hoeing a row of sugar beets in a field near Stockton, California, and I heard on my transistor radio that Franklin Chang-Diaz had been selected for the Astronaut Corps," says Hernandez, who was a senior in high school at the time, and who had only learned English at the age of 12. "I was already interested in science and engineering," Hernández remembers, "but that was the moment I said, 'I want to fly in space.' And that's something I've been striving for each day since then." His hard work paid off when he was selected to begin training as a mission specialist as part of the 2004 astronaut candidate class.</p><p>One of four children raised in a migrant farming family, Hernández had spent much of his childhood traveling between Mexico and southern California depending on the season, picking strawberries and cucumbers at farms along the route.</p><p>Through decades of hard work that took him from a graduate engineering scholarship to a role in co-developing the life-saving, first-ever full-field digital mammography imaging system, aiding in the early detection of breast cancer, Hernandez never lost sight of his dream to go to space. </p><p>Though he was turned down for astronaut training by NASA eleven times, he persevered—and was selected in May 2004. He ultimately became a mission specialist on the STS-128 mission on board the Space Shuttle Discovery, among other roles as an astronaut for NASA.</p><p>Since leaving NASA, Hernández has served as the Executive Director of Strategic Operations at MEI Technologies in Texas, and is currently CEO of Tierra Luna Engineering, LLC.</p>
Migrant farmworker turned NASA astronaut and inspiration for the Prime film, <i>A Million Miles Away</i>; barrier-breaking engineer and entrepreneur
<ul><li><strong>Reaching for Your Own Stars: A Recipe to Succeed in Life</strong></li><li>This keynote is an impactful motivational talk where audiences leave so inspired, they re-evaluate and upgrade their personal and professional goals in life.</li><li>José Hernández empowers attendees through his anecdotal stories of hard work and perseverance. He shares a simple yet effective recipe that serves as an effective tool in the empowerment process. Audiences will learn:<ul><li>How to reach your full potential</li><li>How to dream big when you are willing to work hard for it</li><li>The 6-ingredient recipe to success that led him to his goal of becoming an astronaut</li></ul></li><li><strong>Leadership</strong></li><li>José discusses how he developed his leadership and communication skills as a social advocate in various community-based organizations; as he moved up through senior management positions at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and at NASA; as Executive Director of Strategic Operations at MEI Technologies; and ultimately at his current role of CEO of Tierra Luna Engineering, LLC. </li><li><strong>Diversity, Equity & Inclusion</strong></li><li>This is a sensitivity training course where José points out that everyone has internal biases. Acknowledging and managing these biases not only allows us to treat everyone equally, but helps us foster a culture of inclusion. Data shows that diverse workplaces are more successful workplaces, but in order to embrace our differences, we must acknowledge our different experiences, needs, and opportunities.</li><li><strong>Imposter Syndrome: How to Thrive in Today's Challenging Environment</strong></li><li>This talk centers around a subject relevant for high achievers, people hoping to break barriers, and/or those who are "first in their family to achieve." These achievements often cause individuals to doubt their abilities to the point they feel like a fraud. It disproportionately affects people who break barriers and are one of the first in their families to have college graduate careers. They typically find it difficult to accept their accomplishments, and many question whether they're deserving of recognition and accolades. Jose discusses strategies he used to overcome such feelings.</li><li><strong>Entrepreneurship</strong></li><li>Jose talks about his experiences as a businessman, from owning a restaurant to creating a successful aerospace consulting firm to being coming back to his roots as a vineyard farmer and developing his own line of wines.</li></ul>