notable hispanics/latin@s
cesar chavez
Cesar Chavez was a farmer and a strong civil rights activist. He cofounded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers. At a young age, the depression caused his family to lose their farm and most of their personal belongings. The family was forced to move to california and become migrant workers. Chavez realized he was not being treated fair on the farm, and this drove him to fight for sage and equal working rights for migrant workers. At first his words were ignored, but he continued working toward his dream for better rights. After his plea was ignored, he started talking to other workers and eventually created the United Farm Workers of America Union. They started several peaceful riots in order for their message to be heard. Throughout his lifetime, Cesar won several awards including the Aguila Azteca Award and the U.S Medal of Freedom. Chavez passed away in 1993
antonia novello
Antonia Novello was born on August 23, 1944, in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. As a child Novello suffered from severe health problems associated with her digestive system. After having surgery at age 18, Antonia was inspired to help others all over the world that were going through similar problems. She started her journey by completing both her undergraduate work and her medical training at the University of Puerto Rico. After completing school she moved to the United States and began working with various universities. In 1982 she earned a master's degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University . Eventually her work went beyond just universities and she entered the political world. In 1990 President George Bush appointed her surgeon general of the United States. Antonia became the first Hispanic person and woman to become surgeon general. With her new title Novello advocated strongly for children’s health. She also worked closely with the problems of alcoholism, smoking, AIDS, and violence. Novello is still living and continues to be a role model for many individuals across the world.
gloria estefan
Gloria Estefan has been loved and admired by people throughout the world for both her music and for her bravery in the face of difficulties. Estefan was born in Cuba and moved to Miami, Florida as a young child when her parents fled Fidel Castro’s Communist government. Her singer career started in the late 1970’s when she joined the group the Miami Sound Machine. Eventually Estefan went solo Throughout her life Estefan won many awards for both her music and for her worked with causes like campaigning against drugs. Gloria was involved in a life changing accident in 1990 when her tour bus was hit by a truck. She suffered many serious injuries, but through patience, hard work, and good fortune, the singer fully recovered and eventually returned to the stage. Her music is still appreciated by millions around the world today.
roberto clemente
As a Puerto Rican, Roberto Clemente drew attention to the excellence of Latin American playing in Major League baseball during the 1960s and 1970s. During his time playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Clemente became the first Puerto Rican to be voted Most Valuable Player. He was loved by many for his work both on and off the baseball field. Back home in Puerto Rico, Roberto was a national icon and was known to help out local youth by offering free baseball clinics. In 1971, Clemente hit a milestone in baseball that was nearly unattainable at the time when he reached 3,000 career hits. His life came to a sudden end on New Year’s Eve in 1972 when his plane crashed on his way to take supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. One year later, Clemente was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
jaime escalante
Jaime Escalante was born in La Paz, Bolivia. For fourteen years he taught Physics and Mathematics, until he decided to migrate to the United States in 1964. Along the way, he spent time at the University of Puerto Rico, where he took more science and mathematics courses. Eventually he made his way to California, but had much difficulty speaking English. At nights, he studied at the Pasadena City College working towards a degree in Electronics. After getting a day job he continued his schooling in order to get a degree in mathematics. It was in 1976 that he began teaching at Garfield High School in Los Angeles. Drugs, gangs, and violence were daily facts of life at his new school. Escalante worked to motivate a small group of students to take and pass the AP calculus exam in 1982. The Educational Testing Service that administered the exam, assumed the students must have cheated in order to pass the exam and invalidated the scores. Most of the students chose to retake the exam and again passed, making Escalante a national hero almost overnight. In 1991, the number of students from Garfield High School who took the AP exam was up to 570. Today, Jaime is considered one of the most famous educators in the United States. In 1988 the movie Stand and Deliver was created to honor his efforts to help the underachieving Latino students. Escalante was eventually awarded with the United States Presidential Medal and the Andres Bello Award.
severo ochoa
Severo Ochoa was born in Luarca, Spain on September 24th 1905. He earned his B.A degree in 1921 from Malaga College. His interest in biology brought him to the University of Madrid’s Medical School. After graduation he began working with the Spanish Council of Scientific Research. Much of Ochoa’s life was dedicated to furthering research in the biology field. In 1935 he was named the University of Madrid’s head of physiology for the Institute of Medical Research. His research continued for twenty years until his hard work was finally noticed. In 1955 he received the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology for the discovery of the process that would allow humans to create RNA in a test tube. His discovery helped future scientists to better understand many things about the human body. The importance of this discovery still continues to have a major impact on the medical world today. Ochoa died in 1993, but his work will never be forgotten.