This article was written as part of Latinitas Magazine Workshop, find out more information here.
Do you ever wonder who was the first Latina woman to go to space–and if you have not, do you know it was Ellen Ochoa who was the first Latina woman to go to space? Ellen was a little girl who was born on May 10, 1958, in California. When she was little she was multi-talented which made it difficult to choose between something. But when she was in college she wanted to study engineering. She joined NASA in 1988 as a research engineer. Then later on moved to Johnson Space Center in 1990 when she was picked as an astronaut. Ellen Ochoa retired in 2018. Right now currently at the age of 65 alive and healthy with her husband Coe Milers and her two sons.
Next is one of the most well-known artists from Mexico. Can you take a guess? If you guessed Frida Kahlo you’d be right! Let’s learn about her and her history. The artist was born on July 6, 1907, in Coyoacán Mexico. She was disabled–her disability started from she was born with spine bifida have affected both spinal and leg development, and at the age of 6 Frida developed childhood polio. When Frida was little she wanted to be a doctor. Sadly when she was 18 she was in a bus accident leaving her with lifelong pain. Three months in bed was her resting time during those three months she began to paint. She had been promised medicine school, but sadly after the accident, she turned her attention to medicine school to painting. She grew in popularity in 1938 with her successful show in New York. Frida would usually draw pictures of herself, I guess you can say she was obsessed with herself. She painted or drew 143 pieces which 55 were of her. She sadly passed away on July 13, 1954. She will always be remembered.
Now I will talk about my favorite women of all time, besides my mom of course. I’ll give you a hint she sings and sadly got killed–you already guessed who it was, didn’t you? It’s Selena yay! The young star was born on April 16, 1971, in Lake Jackson, TX. Aside from singing, Selena wanted to become a fashion designer. Her father was part of the band Los Dinos a Tejano band. Her father taught her and her siblings how to sing and play instruments Selena’s father also taught her how to sing in Spanish. Her and her siblings would play in the family restaurant. She released her first song “Déjame Volar” released in 1983. Her first hit song was “Como la Flor”, she even won Female Vocalist of the Year in 1986 at age 15. That’s crazy–like she’s still a baby! But she deserved it. She continued to make music and songs like “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom”, “Chico del Apartamento 512”, “No Dedes Jugar”, “Ya Ves”, and “La Carocha”. Which one is your favorite? Selena sadly died at the age of 23, on March 31, 1995.
Those are all the Latina/Hispanic women who I decided to tell you all about, I hope you liked it, adios!
