Celebrating a Dream Come True; Salute to , Dominican and American Hero

New York Times article by GINGER THOMPSON

Published: October 18, 1998 http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9406E5DF163DF93BA25753C1A96E95826 0&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all

Elena Tejada, a retired seamstress who lives in Washington Heights, prefers quiet weekends at home. But yesterday, she got her 5-year-old grandson up early and headed to City Hall.

On the No. 1 train, she was joined by dozens of her neighbors, immigrants from the Dominican Republic. They carried Dominican flags and wore Chicago Cubs shirts, and they were all going to the same place.

''It's not every day we get to see dreams come true around here,'' Ms. Tejada said, ''especially for people like us.''

In a celebration usually reserved for astronauts, war heroes and heads of state, New York City bestowed its greatest honor on Sammy Sosa, the Dominican-born baseball star who rose from desperate poverty to grab a piece of history. Under a brilliant autumn sky, Mr. Sosa rode a float along the Canyon of Heroes on lower Broadway and then was handed the keys to the city by an exuberant Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani.

Speaking to a crowd of thousands, Mr. Giuliani called Mr. Sosa ''a Dominican hero, an American hero, a hero around the world.''

Over the last season, as Mr. Sosa and the St. Louis Cardinals' Mark McGwire chased Roger Maris's record of 61 home runs in a season, they won fans around the world. And yesterday people from as far away as London, and Venezuela lined the parade route to cheer for Mr. Sosa, who ended the season with 66 homers to Mr. McGwire's 70.

For many residents of Washington Heights, which has the largest community of Dominicans outside the Dominican Republic, the celebration seemed made just for them -- a rare opportunity to join with the rest of New York in cheering the accomplishments of one of their own.

They cheered even though they could hardly hear what Mr. Sosa was saying. And those who were too far away to see the podium simply closed their eyes and breathed in deep, as if they were soaking the whole experience in.

''I am more proud that I was born in the Dominican Republic today than any other day, because Sammy Sosa was born there,'' gushed Fernando Cruz, 40, who wore a T-shirt with Mr. Sosa's jersey number, 21. ''He was born poor, like me. My life was his life.'' Guillermo Linares, the Dominican-born City Councilman who represents Washington Heights, said: ''We have been struggling for the last 30 years to make our experience here as positive as possible and to fulfill the American dream. And whenever we have someone who has broken the barriers that are often set for immigrants, that translates to a monumental feeling of pride. ''To have one of our own reach the level of being a national hero is only a dream come true.''

Searching for words to express his gratitude, Mr. Sosa was moved to tears. For a brief moment he struggled to express himself in English.

''I am a man of the people, that's all I am,'' Mr. Sosa, dressed in an elegant black suit, said just above a whisper.

Then he took off his gold-rimmed spectacles, took a breath to try to stop the tears and switched to Spanish, promising that he would visit Washington Heights before leaving New York. The crowd erupted.

''The keys to the city that I was given today do not belong to me,'' he said. ''They belong to you. You are the people of New York. You are my people.''

Before all the hoopla in lower Manhattan yesterday, Sammy Sosa the baseball star took a back seat to Sammy the humanitarian, as Gov. George E. Pataki and Jackie Robinson's widow, Rachel, saluted him as the first recipient of the annual Jackie Robinson Empire State Freedom Medal.

The bronze medal was given to Mr. Sosa in a ceremony at St. Clare's Hospital and Health Center in Manhattan in recognition of his efforts to aid the victims of Hurricane Georges, which devastated parts of the Caribbean late last month, killing about 250 people and injuring more than 500 in the Dominican Republic alone.

Mr. Sosa ended the evening at Yankee Stadium, where he threw out the first pitch of the opening World Series game between the Yankees and the San Diego Padres.

He showed a humorous side last night as he sat down at a lectern for an interview at the stadium and said, ''Hello, I'm El Duque.'' The real El Duque -- the Yankee pitcher Orlando Hernandez -- followed Mr. Sosa into the interview room, but the comment caused reporters to explode with laughter.

Mr. Sosa's good humor and humility, at a time of such success, resonate vividly among the people of Washington Heights, where poverty remains a daily struggle for most, one that they would love to conquer and forget.

On Dyckman Avenue, a street crowded with one-room fruit and vegetable stores, pharmacies, money transfer counters and used-clothing shops, Tony Arias stood outside the electronics store he manages and explained why he and thousands of other neighborhood residents had celebrated in the streets when Mr. Sosa surpassed Roger Maris's home run mark. ''He is a humble person, who came from a very poor family,'' Mr. Arias said. ''He didn't have shoes. He washed cars and shined shoes to make a living. Now he is at a level all of us want to be.''

Others from the community gathered around and began giving examples of Mr. Sosa's generosity. The stories they told were the stuff of legend. One man said that every time Mr. Sosa hit a home run, the people in his hometown would kill a goat and prepare a feast, all paid for by the Cubs player. Another said that each time Sosa returns home, he pays for sick people in his hometown to get the medicines and operations they need to get well.

''He is a person with a good and noble soul,'' said Julian Garcia. ''He knows what it's like to live poor, unlike so many, and he tries to help.''

Photo: Sammy Sosa greeted his New York fans yesterday at a parade in his honor up the Canyon of Heroes on lower Broadway. (Associated Press)

Sammy Sosa's Biography http://www.sammysosa.info/biography/

Copyright © 2006 SammySosa.info.

Samuel Sosa Peralta was born on November 12, 1968 in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic. His parents Lucrecia and Bautista were not well off and Sammy had a hard childhood, with his father passing away when he was just seven. His family lived in an abandoned hospital while Sammy sold oranges on the street and shined shoes to make ends meet for his mother and six siblings. He started playing baseball at fourteen, but had to use a branch instead of a bat, an old milk carton for a baseball glove and a sock rolled up as a ball. The Early Years

His natural talents for the game were very evident at an early age. When he was just fifteen, the Philadelphia Philles attempted to sign him but were disallowed as Sammy was younger than 's minimum age of sixteen. He instead went on to play in some local leagues and a year later in 1985 while working out at the camp, a scout by the name of Omar Minaya signed him to his first contract with the Rangers. Sosa was described as "malnourished" in his initial scouting report, but that changed as he began working his way through the Rangers minor league system. Sammy made his major league debut on June 16, 1989 against the New York Yankees and hit is first major league homerun five days later against Roger Clemens and the Boston Red Sox. His time in Texas was short as on July 29, 1989 Sosa was traded by the Rangers along with Scott Fletcher and Wilson Alvarez to the for and Fred Manrique.

Sammy Sosa spent parts of the next three seasons with the Chicago White Sox and their minor league teams. In March of 1992, he was traded once again - this time with Ken Patterson to the cross-town Chicago Cubs in exchange for . By the 1993 season, it was clear that the Cubs had pried away a jewel from the White Sox. In his first full season with the Cubs, Sammy became the first 30-30 player in the team's long history. As history would tell us later on, Sammy was just getting warmed up. He played in his first All-Star Game on July 11, 1995 in the home stadium of his former team (Rangers) in Arlington, Texas. He completed his second 30-30 campaign with the Cubs and became the first player in the 20th century to lead the Cubs in homers and steals for three straight years. The Home Run Derby

By the mid-1990s, Sammy had become a consistent 30- 40 home run player. In 1997 he signed a four year $42.5 million dollar contract with the Cubs but the real special show began in 1998. That year saw Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa go head-to-head to see who could hit more home runs. McGwire had the early lead but by late August, they were going back and forth. Mark McGwire hit 70 home runs that year but Sammy Sosa wasn't that far behind with 66 and both beat Roger Maris' long standing single season record of 63 home runs in a year. That season proved to be one where Major League Baseball finally had something good going for itself with fans clammering to get more of McGwire and Sosa. He and Mark shared Sports Illustrated magazine's 1998 "Sportsmen of the Year" award. After that frenetic year, Sammy still had a lot more still left in the tank. Over the next four seasons, he did not miss a beat.

During the 1999 season, Sammy was once again going up against Mark McGwire in the home run race. Sosa belted 63 home runs that year while Mark hit 65. The next year saw a drop off in home runs hit across the league but Sammy Sosa was still on top, hitting 50 homeruns in 2000 and taking the home run crown. In 2001, he continued his big long ball production putting 64 balls out of the ballpark. This feat made him the only player to have hit 60 or more home runs in three different seasons. He stayed on pace in 2002 by hitting another 49 home runs. His trademark post home run ritual of doing a hop, a kiss and touching his heart had become a very familiar sight in Chicago's historic Wrigley Field. Controversies

Things began to go bad for Sammy Sosa in the 2003 season. For the first time in his career, injuries saw him miss playing time and a controversy surrounding the use of corked bat further exasperated his decline. Sosa claimed that the corked bat was one that he only used for batting practice and was suspended for seven games. Major League Baseball conducted an investigation that included x-raying all of his bats and did not find any evidence to suggest systematic cheating. Sammy still hit 40 home runs and the Cubs came five outs from playing in the World Series. The following year saw Sammy injure his back after sneezing. The fluke incident saw him go on the disabled list for just the second time in his career and left him with chronic back spasms. As his play suffered, so did his relationship with manager Dusty Baker and apparently with his fellow Cub players. He showed up late for the last game of the 2004 season and when told that he would not be starting that evening, walked out of Wrigley field. That would happen to be the last time Sammy would do that as a Cub.

On January 28, 2005 the Cubs traded Sammy Sosa to the Baltimore Orioles for Jerry Hairston, Jr. and two minor league prospects.

Sammy Sosa: 1968—: Professional Baseball Player - From Poverty to Professional Athletics http://biography.jrank.org/pages/3217/Sosa-Sammy-1968-Professional-Baseball-Player- From-Poverty-Professional-Athletics.html

Born on November 12, 1968, in San Pedro de Macoris on the southeastern shore of the Dominican Republic, Sosa is the son of farmer Juan Montero and housewife Lucrecia Sosa. After his father's sudden death from a brain aneurysm in 1975, Sammy, his two sisters and four brothers, and their mother lived in a two-bedroom apartment in an abandoned hospital. Sosa earned dimes by selling oranges on the street and shined shoes for a quarter a pair. He shifted to washing cars for cash and later found steady work as the janitor at a shoe factory.

Playtime found Sosa embroiled in neighborhood boxing matches and makeshift baseball games with a stick for a bat, a milk carton for a glove, and a rolled-up sock for a ball. At age 14, he was thin and gangly, but he demonstrated raw talent at baseball after his brother Juan encouraged him to learn the game and polish his skills. In 1983, Sosa signed with the , but had to vacate the contract because he was underage. At age 16, he cagily negotiated with scout Omar Minaya for a contract and a $3,500 signing bonus with the Texas Rangers. Sosa kept enough cash to buy his first bicycle and gave the remainder to his mother. His generosity to her and his siblings set a pattern over his extraordinarily lucrative career.

In 1986 Sosa traveled to winter training camp in Sarasota, Florida, his introduction to life and sports in the United States. Although he spoke no English, his career flourished immediately as he led the Gulf Coast League in doubles. He came to treasure American freedoms and prosperity enough to request formal immigration papers and to begin the long process of applying for U. S. citizenship.

At a Glance . . .Born Samuel Sosa Peralta on November 12, 1968, in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic; married Sonia; children: Keysha, Kenia, Sammy Jr., and Michael.

Career: Drafted at age 16 by the Texas Rangers; began professional baseball career in the Gulf Coast League for rookies, 1986; traded from the Rangers to the Chicago White Sox, 1989-92; traded to the Chicago Cubs, 1992-.

Awards: South Atlantic League All-Star, 1987; Member of the National League All-Star team, 1995, 1998 ; named outfielder on the Sporting News National League Silver Slugger team, 1995; Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award, 1998; Roberto Clemente award for outstanding service to the community, 1998; Sporting News player of the year, 1998; Baseball Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award, 1998; named National League most valuable player by Baseball Writers Association of America, 1998; Gene Autry Courage Award, 1998; Sports Illustrated Co-Sportsman of the Year, 1998.

Addresses: Home—San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic; Office—Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field, 1060 W. Addison Street, Chicago, IL 60613-4397. Education, the Song of Hope: How going from middle class to poor as a child set Shakira on a mission.

Newsweek

October 4, 2008 http://www.newsweek.com/2008/10/03/education-the-song-of-hope.html

Often you don't know what you have until you lose it. When I was 7 years old, my hardworking father's jewelry business went bankrupt. I didn't know what the word "bankrupt" meant, and when my parents sent me to stay with family friends in Los Angeles while they addressed the situation, I assumed that I would return home to my normal routine.

But when I returned, it seemed everything had changed. Our two cars that I had ridden in to school or to play with my friends were gone. The air conditioner that cooled us during the brutally hot Colombian summers had been sold. Our color television had been traded in for a smaller, black-and-white version. Foods that I loved were replaced with the bland staples a mother buys when food becomes sustenance instead of something to be enjoyed.

We had gone from being middle class to poor almost overnight, and from my 7-year-old child's perspective it was hard to imagine anything worse. I can still viscerally remember the seeming desperation of that moment.

But my parents found ways to put our situation in perspective and to show me how fortunate we still were, especially given that—previously unbeknownst to me—so many families and children had so much less. Most vividly, I remember my father walking me by a park and watching the street children who lived there. They were my age and their faces didn't look all that different from mine or my friends', yet these children truly had nothing. They lived in the dirt, in tattered clothes and with bare feet, scrounging through garbage for anything to eat. Many sniffed glue to dull the pain of their existence. Despite our situation, my parents wanted me to know that it could be far worse. At that moment, I promised myself that if I was ever able to help, I would.

My first major was called "Pies Descalzos" ("Barefoot" in Spanish) and was named for the children whose faces had been seared into my memory. I hoped that, in some small way, I was able to give a voice to those children whom no one seemed to listen to or care about. I was 18, and once the album was released I created a charitable foundation in Colombia to try to help kids like the ones I had seen in the park 10 years before and too many times since. I hoped that, as my life and career progressed, I could help poor children escape poverty and make progress in their own lives.

During the last 10 years, Pies Descalzos has successfully served thousands of Colombia's poorest children. For less than $2 per day, the schools we fund give children nutritious meals, quality educations, counseling services (for those who have experienced tragedies) and a chance to pull themselves out of the poverty cycle that previously trapped them. So don't believe that it isn't possible to educate the world's poorest children. We do it every day in Colombia, a country second only to Iraq in terms of the number of internally displaced people who've fled their homes because of the horrors of war.

Now we are taking our school program to other parts of the world with the launch of a new U.S.- based nonprofit organization called Barefoot.

Globally, 72 million young children don't attend primary school and another 226 million aren't in secondary school. In addition, hundreds of millions of children attend some version of school but can't access the type of quality education that yields real results.

We know how to address this. Governments must abolish school fees, hire more qualified teachers and provide textbooks and meals in schools. Most important, they must decide that a child's poverty is not an excuse—that they will educate all children regardless of what family or neighborhood they are born into. And they must prioritize education funding.

Education affects every aspect of economic development and global stability. Research has shown that a single year of primary education creates a 10 to 20 percent increase in a woman's wages later in life. Education also prevents disease: a young person with a secondary education is three times less likely to contract HIV. Education even leads to more efficient agriculture and improved nutrition.

This is not charity—it is in everyone's self-interest. Our Colombian schools primarily serve children who are displaced by decades of conflict. Many have seen their loved ones die and come to our schools angry and bitter. Education gives them a reason not to join the paramilitary organizations and narco-traffickers that have terrorized Colombia for so long.

We can be the first generation to make education universally available—providing it to all children, everywhere, with no excuses. A barefoot child I saw years ago in the park deserves the same opportunity as any other child.

Shakira Owes All to Family Bankrupcy

CNN by Daniela Deane December 08, 2009 http://articles.cnn.com/2009-12-08/world/shakira.bankruptcy_1_shakira-global-security- education?_s=PM:WORLD

Colombian singer Shakira, whose hit "Hips Don't Lie" is the most played record in American radio history, became a musical sensation and a global philanthropist because of her family's bankruptcy when she was eight years old.

When the singer was 18, she founded the Barefoot Foundation, a charity to help poor children in her native Colombia get an education. Later, she expanded her reach to become a UNICEF goodwill ambassador.

And it all started when she had the rug pulled out from under her as a kid in Barranquilla, Colombia.

"I remember vividly the day which I entered our apartment and my dad had sold all the furniture we had, and the air-conditioning," Shakira told CNN. "We lost both our cars."

Shakira said she was "very upset."

"I couldn't believe my eyes, I couldn't believe how my parents allowed such a failure in business," she said.

Shakira said she "couldn't embrace bankruptcy so easily, so my parents took me to the park, where there were many kids who were orphans and barefoot and sniffing glue."

"They wanted to show me another reality that was much worse than mine," she said, "to make me gain perspective on things."

Shakira told CNN it was that visit to the park that changed her life.

"That day I made myself a promise," she said. "I promised that I would someday succeed to vindicate my parents' social and economic position. But I also wanted to do something about those kids I saw so abandoned by the state, abandoned to their own luck, without any chances to change their destinies."

The singer-, musician, , dancer and philanthropist described herself as "obsessed" with child education, and its contribution to national and global security. The Grammy Award-winning Shakira, who has sold more than 50 million worldwide, said education "not only boosts economic growth, but also guarantees national and global security."

She said education is also the solution to paramilitary gang recruiting in Latin America.

"A child who lives in extreme poverty is ten times more likely to be recruited by the paramilitaries, or any kind of violent or extremist group, than one who receives an education and is safe at school," she said. "That's why education also promotes global stability, political stability, and peace."

Shakira said she has seen "with her two eyes how education transforms the lives of not only the kids, but entire communities."

"Education is without a doubt the best strategy to fight poverty," Shakira told CNN. "And if we all want a safer world, we have to invest in education."

"I like to think I'm using the spotlight that shines on me ... and shifting it to more important issues," she said.

Shakira's Personal Poverty Made Her Do Charity

October 12, 2008 By Adriaan Alsema http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/culture/1656-shakiras-personal-poverty-made- her-do-charity.html

Before Shakira became a world famous singer, she was poor. And before she was poor, she was one of the few to enjoy Colombian middle class life. It was the poverty her family plunged into after the bankruptcy of her father's business that made her start Pies Descalzos, the foundation to help child education worldwide.

In an article in Newsweek, the singer writes how at age seven she went from riches to rags, because of the bankruptcy of her father's jewelry business.

"We had gone from being middle class to poor almost overnight, and from my 7-year-old child's perspective it was hard to imagine anything worse. I can still viscerally remember the seeming desperation of that moment," she writes in the magazine.

"My parents found ways to put our situation in perspective and to show me how fortunate we still were, especially given that—previously unbeknownst to me—so many families and children had so much less," she added.

Shakira remembers how she and her dad would take a walk through a Barranquilla park and she saw the children who really had nothing. "They lived in the dirt, in tattered clothes and with bare feet, scrounging through garbage for anything to eat. Many sniffed glue to dull the pain of their existence," she writes.

It was at that moment, she says, she promised herself she would help those children if she ever had the chance.

Now, after having sold more than 50 million albums worldwide, the singer is keeping her her promise. Her foundation Pies Descalzos (barefoot) already helped education in a number of schools in Colombia and, as she recently announced, will help children in other developing countries too.

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/ochoa.html

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Houston, Texas 77058

Biographical Data January 2008

ELLEN OCHOA (PH.D) DEPUTY DIRECTOR JOHNSON SPACE CENTER

PERSONAL DATA: Born in 1958 in Los Angeles, California, but considers La Mesa, California, to be her hometown. Married to Coe Fulmer Miles of Molalla, Oregon. They have two children. She is a classical flutist and private pilot, and also enjoys volleyball and bicycling. Ellen’s mother, Rosanne Ochoa, is deceased. Coe’s mother, Georgia Zak, is deceased. His stepfather, Louis Zak, resides in John Day, Oregon.

EDUCATION: Graduated from Grossmont High School, La Mesa, California, in 1975; received a bachelor of science degree in physics from San Diego State University in 1980, a master of science degree and doctorate in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 1981 and 1985, respectively.

ORGANIZATIONS: Member of the Optical Society of America (OSA), the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi honor societies.

SPECIAL HONORS: NASA awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, Exceptional Service Medal, Outstanding Leadership Medal, and four Space Flight Medals. Recipient of numerous other awards, including the Harvard Foundation Science Award, Women in Aerospace Outstanding Achievement Award, The Hispanic Engineer Albert Baez Award for Outstanding Technical Contribution to Humanity, the Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award, and San Diego State University Alumna of the Year. She also has two schools named after her: Ellen Ochoa Middle School in Pasco, Washington, and the Ellen Ochoa Learning Center in Cudahy, California.

EXPERIENCE: As a doctoral student at Stanford, and later as a researcher at Sandia National Laboratories and NASA Ames Research Center, Dr. Ochoa investigated optical systems for performing information processing. She is a co-inventor on three patents for an optical inspection system, an optical object recognition method, and a method for noise removal in images. As Chief of the Intelligent Systems Technology Branch at Ames, she supervised 35 engineers and scientists in the research and development of computational systems for aerospace missions. Dr. Ochoa has presented numerous papers at technical conferences and in scientific journals.

Selected by NASA in January 1990, Dr. Ochoa became an astronaut in July 1991. Her technical assignments in the Astronaut Office include serving as the crew representative for flight software, computer hardware and robotics, Assistant for Space Station to the Chief of the Astronaut Office, lead spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) in Mission Control, Acting Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office, Deputy Director of Flight Crew Operations, and Director, Flight Crew Operations, where she managed and directed the Astronaut Office and Aircraft Operations.. A veteran of four space flights, Dr. Ochoa has logged over 978 hours in space. She was a mission specialist on STS-56 (1993), was the Payload Commander on STS-66 (1994), and was a mission specialist and flight engineer on STS-96 (1999) and STS-110 (2002). Dr. Ochoa currently serves as Deputy Director, Johnson Space Center.

SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE: STS-56 ATLAS-2 Discovery (April 4-17, 1993) was a 9- day mission during which the crew conducted atmospheric and solar studies in order to better understand the effect of solar activity on the Earth’s climate and environment. Dr. Ochoa used the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) robotic arm to deploy and capture the Spartan satellite, which studied the solar corona.

Dr. Ochoa was the Payload Commander on the STS-66 Atlantis Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science-3 mission (November 3-14, 1994). ATLAS-3 continued the series of Spacelab flights to study the energy of the sun during an 11-year solar cycle and to learn how changes in the sun’s irradiance affect the earth’s climate and environment. Dr. Ochoa used the RMS to retrieve the CRISTA-SPAS atmospheric research satellite at the end of its 8-day free flight.

STS-96 Discovery (May 27 to June 6, 1999) was a 10-day mission during which the crew performed the first docking to the International Space Station, and delivered 4 tons of logistics and supplies in preparation for the arrival of the first crew to live on the station. Dr. Ochoa coordinated the transfer of supplies and also operated the RMS during the 8-hour space walk.

STS-110 Atlantis (April 8-19, 2002) was the 13th Space Shuttle mission to visit the International Space Station. Mission milestones during the 11-day mission included: the delivery and installation of the SO (S-Zero) Truss; the first time the Station’s robotic arm was used to maneuver spacewalkers around the Station; and the first time that all of a Space Shuttle crew’s spacewalks were based from the Station’s Quest Airlock. Dr. Ochoa, along with Expedition-4 crew members Dan Bursch and Carl Walz, operated the Station’s robotic arm to install SO, and to move crew members during three of the four spacewalks.

Interview Transcript Students on Scholastic.com interviewed astronaut Ellen Ochoa during 1999's Hispanic Heritage Month. Below is a transcript of that interview. http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/hispanic/ochoatscript.htm

What are your Hispanic roots? Did you speak Spanish at home when you were growing up? My Hispanic roots come from my father's side. His parents were Mexican, but my father was born in this country. He was one of 12 children. My father grew up speaking both Spanish and English but unfortunately he didn't speak Spanish with us at home. When I was growing up, my father believed as many people did at the time that there was a prejudice against people speaking their native language. It's really too bad, and I'm glad that things have changed in recent years.

Does your being Hispanic American make you feel more pressure and more pride about your accomplishments? Do you have that in mind when you think of how well you've done in life? I don't believe that being Hispanic American puts any additional pressure on me. I seem to put enough pressure on myself as it is. As for my accomplishments, being an astronaut has given me the opportunity to speak to children all over, including children with the same background as myself. I think that it's important for children to have a role model to see what they can grow up to be. It's important they know that if they work hard, they can be and accomplish whatever they want. I am proud to be an example of that.

Who do you think was the most influential person in your life? My mother influenced me the most. When I was a year old, she started college. She had to raise five children primarily on her own and so she couldn't take more than one class each semester. She didn't graduate until 22 years later, but she did finish. Her primary focus was the enjoyment of learning. That's what I got from her example.

What were you interested in when you were in fifth grade? When I was in the fifth grade, I think I wanted to be president. I got over that by the time I was in the sixth grade. I didn't think that I would be an astronaut. But you never know how your interests will change. That's why it's important never to shut down your options. In college, I changed my major five times. I started college interested in music and business, and graduated with a degree in physics. I didn't actually pursue becoming an astronaut until graduate school when I learned about the kinds of skills NASA was looking for in potential astronauts.

What is NASA training like? Everything is always harder to do in training. In training, we prepare for anything that could happen on a space mission - anything that could go wrong. In training things keep breaking, problems have to be solved. Nothing has ever gone wrong on any of my missions, and our training helps us make sure that nothing will. Each mission has its own specific. For my last mission, we trained for nine months before the actual flight. I started my formal NASA training in 1990. During that period I spent about half of the time in training, the other half I spent performing other duties. I was in training for three years before my first mission, which isn't that long of a wait. Some astronauts have waited 10, even 16 years before they finally go into space!

Is it hard being an astronaut and a mother? Do you worry about going into space now that you're a mother? How does your son feel about your going into space? I think it's hard being anything and a mother. Both are full-time jobs, and you have to work very hard at both to do a good job. Personally, I find both jobs wonderful. It is hard to be separated from my husband and son when I go on a mission, and I miss them a great deal. But lots of people have to be away from their families because of their jobs. Right now my son is only 18- months old, so the last time I went into space, he didn't really know what was going on. I think it will be much harder the next time since he will understand more.

Can you talk to your family from space? Yes, thanks to e-mail, when I am in space my husband and I are able to communicate every day - which is very nice. And on missions lasting more than 10 days we are allowed to visit with each other by having a video conference from space.

What is the scariest thing that ever happened to you in space? There's never really been anything for me to be scared of because nothing has ever gone wrong on any of my missions. For me, going into space is very exciting, not scary. The riskiest part of the flight is the launch because it's the phase of the flight when things are most likely to go wrong. But like I said, there have never been problems on my missions, and besides, we are trained to handle any problems that might come along.

What do you look for in a potential astronaut, and what is their average age? Most of the people who are selected are between the ages of 30 to 40. We look for a college education in science or technology. Mission Specialists usually have a Ph.D. or an M.D., but work experience can sometimes compensate for advanced degrees. We look for people who can do many things well, because people with multiple skills can usually learn things quickly. This is a very important quality for an astronaut, as is being well rounded. People with a background of skills or extra-curricular activities - such as music, sports or foreign languages - stand out as well.

Gloria Estefan Biography http://www.hispanic-culture-online.com/gloria-estefan-biography.html Copyright©2007 www.hispanic-culture-online.com

Name: Gloria Fajardo. Birth date: September 1, 1957. Birthplace: Havana, Cuba. Releasing in 1984 her first English-language album, "Eyes of Innocence," which Breakthrough: included "Dr. Beat."

Gloria Estefan is a talented Cuban artist considered to be the first Latin crossover artist in the U.S. She is one, amongst the famous Spanish people to have found incredible success in the USA.

It all started with Fidel Castro coming to power. José Manuel Fajardo, Gloria’s father, a soldier in the Cuban army and the bodyguard of President Batista had to seek refuge in the United States.

Gloria Estefan Album Gloria Estefan Album Gloria Estefan Album "," 1993 2002 "," 2007 Tribute to Cuban Music

After coming to the U.S., Fajardo was recruited into the 2506 Brigade, a Central Intelligence Agency-funded group of Cuban refugees that participated in the 1961 Bay of Pigs fiasco. Fajardo’s cousin helped capture Gloria's father and subsequently he was released. He served in Vietnam, after being recruited into the US army. Gloria Estefan’s Childhood

While growing up, young Gloria wrote poetry and learned to play classical . When her father returned from Vietnam in 1969, doctors discovered that he had multiple sclerosis. Her mother supported the family and attended night school, while Gloria at only ten years of age took care of her sick father and younger sister. Weighed with these responsibilities and a zero social life, Gloria found music an outlet for her pent up feelings.

It is interesting to read any Gloria Estefan biography that tells how she met and married her husband . Estefan worked for rum dealer Bacardi as a sales manager and was a keyboard player who headed a band called Miami Latin Boys. Latin Music was the band’s forte.

Emilio's band had no lead singer. Emilio met Gloria on the request of a friend, to advise her on forming a band. A few weeks after hearing Gloria sing, Estefan requested Gloria to join as the lead singer of his band.

Initially, Gloria performed only during weekends, as she was studying at the University of Miami. A year after joining, the band was renamed the . Gloria and the Miami Sound Machine recorded the album "Renacer," which was a collection of Spanish disco pop and ballads.

We know from this Gloria Estefan biography that in her early years, she was plump and painfully shy. Later on, with the help of exercise, she lost weight and in due course overcame her shyness as well.

In September 1978, Gloria and Emilio took their marital vows. After two years, Nayib, their son was born. Emilio then quit working for Bacardi and started working full-time with the Miami Sound Machine. On December 5, 1994 Emilio and Gloria were blessed with a daughter, Emily Marie.

This Gloria Estefan biography traces the growth of the band from its Latin music beginnings to the position of fame it holds today. The great success of the band started when it landed a contract with Discos CBS International for its Latin division. The band recorded four albums in Spanish comprising samba, ballads, pop and disco styles of music.

Gloria Estefan and Miami sound machine composed songs that were popular in Venezuela, Honduras, Peru and Panama which are Spanish speaking countries. The Breakthrough

In 1984 the band released their first album in English “Eyes of Innocence.” In any Gloria Estefan biography the popularity of the single “Dr.Beat” is evident. This song reached number ten in the United States and was on the charts in Europe also.

In 1986 the band released “” probably the first crossover album. The song “Conga” reached the top of Billboard's charts in pop, R&B, Latin, and dance music all simultaneously!

Their music was immensely popular, as hit singles like "Bad Boys" and "" made it to the Top 10 pop Billboard chart.

Gloria Estefan and the Miami sound machine played music of Latin rhythm, blues and pop, making it a truly hybrid band. Legacy Recordings, states that Estefan is one of the most successful crossover artists in Latin music history, with her international record sales touching the 50 million mark.

The Miami Sound Machine had two personifications. One group was the "Three Jerks" along with session players who recorded songs. The other group was the road band which performed live concerts. Estefan sang for both.

Soon the Miami sound Machine came to be a leading band in the US, with promotions on MTV and VH-1, tours and concerts all over the US. Slowly Gloria Estefan and the Miami sound machine became one name.

In 1989 the band released “.” She won BMI Songwriter of the year after writing seven of the songs in this album. Estefan showed she had vision when she recognized the great potential of undiluted Cuban music among world audiences. The next step was the release of the single "Oye Mi Canto" in 1990 entirely in Spanish.

The Amazing Accident Recovery of Gloria Estefan

This Gloria Estefan biography would not be complete without prising the amazing recovery she went through after her tour accident.

On March 20, 1990 near Scranton PA, a truck crashed into the bus Estefan and her family were on. They were traveling to a concert in Syracuse. Gloria broke her vertebrae and doctors stabilized her back at the Scranton Community Medical Center. Soon after she was flown to the Hospital for Joint Diseases Orthopedic Institute in New York City where surgeons aligned her vertebrae with titanium rods.

Glora Estefan Music

Gloria Estefan is one of the most successful Hispanic singers who made it in the crossover world, and that is probably why Gloria's music is one of the most representative and known in Hispanic culture. Here is a selection of some of her best productions I consider complete any Hispanic music collection.

Gloria Estefan Biography http://www.biography.com/articles/Gloria-Estefan-9542436

She was born Gloria Fajardo on September 1, 1957, in Havana, Cuba. As a toddler Estefan fled Cuba with her family when Communist dictator Fidel Castro rose to power. Her father, Jos˜O Manuel Fajardo, had been a Cuban soldier and bodyguard of President Fulgencio Batista.

After coming to the United States, Fajardo was recruited into the 2506 Brigade, a Central Intelligence Agency-funded band of Cuban refugees that was involved in the unsuccessful 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion. After President John F. Kennedy negotiated the release of the captured soldiers, Fajardo rejoined his family. He eventually joined the U.S. Army and served for two years in Vietnam.

As a child Estefan liked to write poetry, and though she took classical guitar lessons, she found them tedious. She had no inkling that she would some day become a popular music star, but music played a very important role for her as a teenager.

After her father's return from Vietnam, he was diagnosed as having multiple sclerosis, possibly as a result of having been exposed to the herbicide Agent Orange while serving in the army. Estefan's mother, who had been a teacher in Cuba, worked to support the family during the day and attended school at night. Young Gloria was left to take care of her father and younger sister. She had little social life, and because she felt the weight of such responsibilities she turned to music as a release.

"When my father was ill, music was my escape," Estefan told Washington Post reporter Richard Harrington. "I would lock myself up in my room for hours and just sing. I wouldn't cry—I refused to cry...Music was the only way I had to just let go, so I sang for fun and for emotional catharsis."

In 1975 Gloria met keyboardist Emilio Estefan, a sales manager for the rum dealer Bacardi who also led a band called the Miami Latin Boys. The band played popular Latin music, but because there was no lead singer, the quartet members took turns singing. A mutual friend asked Emilio to advise Gloria and some friends about organizing a band for a special event. Emilio heard Gloria sing, and when he met her again at a wedding at which the Miami Latin Boys were entertaining, he asked her to sit in with the band. A few weeks later Emilio asked Gloria to perform as lead singer with the band, and she accepted.

At first Gloria sang only on weekends, because she was still attending the University of Miami. A year and a half after Gloria joined the group, by then renamed the Miami Sound Machine, the band recorded its first album for a local label. Renacer was a collection of disco pop and original ballads sung in Spanish. Although Estefan was somewhat plump and very shy when she joined the band, she slimmed down with a rigorous exercise program and worked to overcome her natural reticence. After several months on a professional level, Emilio and Gloria's professional relationship turned personal, and in September 1978, they were married. Their son Nayib was born two years later, about the time that Emilio quit his job at Bacardi to work full-time with the band, then made up of bassist Marcos Avila, drummer Kiki Garcia, keyboardist, arranger, and saxophonist Raul Murciano, keyboardist Emilio, and soprano Gloria.

By 1980 the group had signed a contract with Discos CBS International, the Miami-based Hispanic division of CBS Records. Between 1981 and 1983 the Miami Sound Machine recorded four Spanish-language albums made up of ballads, disco, pop, and sambas. The Miami Sound Machine first met with success in Spanish-speaking countries. The group had dozens of hit songs around the worldvëparticularly in Venezuela, Peru, Panama, and Honduras—but enjoyed little recognition in the United States.

The Miami Sound Machine's first North American hit was from the band's first English album, Eyes of Innocence. The disco single "Dr. Beat" went to the top of the European dance charts. The song's popularity prompted CBS to move the group to Epic, a parent label, and inspired group members to write songs in English, first with a couple of numbers on the otherwise Spanish- language record Conga. The rousing dance number "Conga" itself became the first single to crack Billboard's pop, dance, black, and Latin charts simultaneously.

In 1986 the album Primitive Love, the band's first recording entirely in English, set off a string of hit singles. "Bad Boys" and "Words Get in the Way" made their way onto Billboard's Top 10 pop chart. Behind the scenes was the work of the trio known as the "Three Jerks" producer/drummer Joe Galdo and his partners Rafael Vigil and Lawrence Dermervëwho wrote, arranged, and performed the majority of the music on Primitive Love and the follow-up album, Let It Loose.

As a band, the Miami Sound Machine developed a split personality. In the studio the "Three Jerks" and session players made records, and for concerts the road band, which included Garcia and Avila, performed. Estefan was the common denominator. Extensive tours, concerts in 40,000-seat stadiums, and music videos on MTV and VH-1 made the Miami Sound Machine a leading U.S. band.

Estefan gradually became the star attraction, and the act came to be billed as Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine or sometimes simply Gloria Estefan. Some commentators on the popular music scene called Estefan a demure, Hispanic version of Madonna.

Despite the group's popularity with English-speaking listeners, the Estefans have not forgotten their roots. There are always Spanish-language projects in the works, and the title of their 1989 album Cuts Both Ways attests to their intention to live up to their international reputation. Estefan contributed to Cuts Both Ways in more capacities than as just the lead singer. She was involved in its planning and production, composed some of the music, and wrote lyrics to most of the songs. The rollicking salsa finale "Oye Mi Canto" ("Hear My Song") rivaled "Conga" for its appeal. Emilio Estefan relinquished his position as keyboardist with the Miami Sound Machine after the birth of son, Nayib. He then devoted his considerable energy and managerial talent to promoting the band and the other enterprises that were to eventually make the Estefans producers of their own and others' records. While Estefan toured with the band, her husband ensured that Nayib would have at least one parent at home. A close family, the Estefans would arrange to meet as often as possible during tours.

While traveling together on March 20, 1990, the band's bus was involved in an accident with a tractor-trailer on snowy Interstate 380 near the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. Nayib suffered a fractured shoulder and Emilio received minor head and hand injuries, while Gloria suffered a broken vertebra in her back. In a four-hour operation several days later, surgeons realigned Estefan's spine and implanted steel rods to buttress the fracture. With a prognosis for complete recovery doubtful, Estefan retired to her home on Star Island, near Miami, to begin her long recovery.

Thanks to extensive physical therapy, intense determination, and the support of her family and fans, Gloria Estefan made what many consider a miraculous comeback. She marked her return to performing with an appearance on television's American Music Awards in January of 1991, and beginning in March, she launched a year-long tour to tout her comeback album Into the Light.

Most recently, Estefan is planning what she says is her final tour of Latin America and South America, which is scheduled for early 2009.

Gloria Estefan Wisdom feed http://www.iwise.com/wBbOe

Gloria Estefan : " My mother, my dad and I left Cuba when I was two [January, 1959]. Castro had taken control by then, and life for many ordinary people had become very difficult. My dad had worked [as a personal bodyguard for the wife of Cuban president Batista], so he was a marked man. We moved to Miami, which is about as close to Cuba as you can get without being there. It's a Cuba-centric society. I think a lot of Cubans moved to the US thinking everything would be perfect. Personally, I have to say that those early years were not particularly happy. A lot of people didn't want us around, and I can remember seeing signs that said: "No children. No pets. No Cubans." Things were not made easier by the fact that Dad had begun working for the US government. At the time he couldn't really tell us what he was doing, because it was some sort of top-secret operation. He just said he wanted to fight against what was happening back at home. [Estefan's father was one of the many Cuban exiles taking part in the ill-fated, anti-Castro Bay of Pigs invasion to overthrow dictator Fidel Castro.] One night, Dad disappered. I think he was so worried about telling my mother he was going that he just left her a note. There were rumours something was happening back home, but we didn't really know where Dad had gone. It was a scary time for many Cubans. A lot of men were involved -- lots of families were left without sons and fathers. By the time we found out what my dad had been doing, the attempted coup had taken place, on April 17, 1961. Intitially he'd been training in Central America, but after the coup attempt he was captured and spent the next wo years as a political prisoner in Cuba. That was probably the worst time for my mother and me. Not knowing what was going to happen to Dad. I was only a kid, but I had worked out where my dad was. My mother was trying to keep it a secret, so she used to tell me Dad was on a farm. Of course, I thought that she didn't know what had really happened to him, so I used to keep up the pretence that Dad really was working on a farm. We used to do this whole pretending thing every day, trying to protect each other. Those two years had a terrible effect on my mother. She was very nervous, just going from church to church. Always carrying her rosary beads, praying her little heart out. She had her religion, and I had my music. Music was in our family. My mother was a singer, and on my father's side there was a violinist and a pianist. My grandmother was a poet. " # Science and Scientists # Love # Politicians and Politics

Gloria Estefan: " Ever since I was a little girl, I felt that I wanted to be of service here on the earth: I felt that was my job somehow. And whatever I was going to do, I was going to find a way to do that. And so, as I got a larger audience -- a broader audience worldwide, and more and more people were listening to me -- it became important for me to share that thought. And the song "" -- which I didn't write, it was written actually by my guitar player, bass player and keyboardist . . . They knew how I felt. [They knew] what my thoughts were . . . So although it was written before my accident, it was thrown back at me so many times . . . But that really is my motto. I look always forward. I look ahead. And that's why I chose to record that song, because I really loved the message. Then "," which came on the heals of that accident and my rehab, and the incredible love that I felt from everyone worldwide that helped me through that difficult moment when I broke my back in 1990, is a big thank you to my fans -- and an expression of how ultimately we are here for each other to help one another. And the strength of prayer . . . That's why I say I know the love that saved me, you're sharing with me. We do have the power to save one another . . . And I wanted to thank everyone for being there for me. " # Life and Living # Love # Friends and Friendship