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Whether it be in politics, science, medicine or the arts, Latinas have defied social, cultural, and gender stereotypes throughout many generations and have become pioneers in their respective fields and native countries.

In honor of these brave, daring, and at times controversial women, here are 10 Latinas who fought against the odds and became the first in their class:

Sonia Sotomayor - First Latina U.S. Supreme Court Justice

Born in the Bronx, New York in 1954, Sonia Sotomayor grew up in challenging circumstances. Although she recalled regular summertime visits to Puerto Rico to see friends and family, her home life in New York was not a happy one. Her father was an alcoholic who died in his early 40s and her mother kept her emotional distance from her daughter. The family lived in the housing projects, which would later be overrun by gang violence.

Still, Sotomayor's mother pushed her children to take their education seriously, which left a deep imprint on Sotomayor, who knew by age 10 that she wanted to be a lawyer. Sotomayor won a scholarship to Princeton University and graduated summa cum laude in 1976 and went on to receive her law degree from Yale.

In 1979 Sotomayor served as an assistant district attorney, which eventually paved her way to becoming a U.S. District Court judge, appointed by George H.W. Bush. Under Bill Clinton's administration, Sotomayor would make her way to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in 1997, and a little over a decade later, Barack Obama nominated her to the highest court in the land. In 2009 Sotomayor would make history as the first Latina to become a U.S. Supreme Court Justice. Since then, she has built her reputation on being an advocate for criminal justice reform and women's rights.
READ MORE: How Sonia Sotomayor Overcame Adversity to Become the United States' First Hispanic and Latina Justice
Rita Moreno - First Latina PEGOT Recipient

Born in 1931, Puerto Rican actress Rita Moreno has built an award-winning career in film, television and theater that has spanned over seven decades. Famous for her supporting roles in the film adaptations of the King and I (1956) and West Side Story (1961), Moreno would earn herself an Oscar for the latter, making her the first Latina to achieve such a feat.

In the 1970s, Moreno became a regular cast member of the beloved PBS children's show The Electric Company and would later be cast in a supporting role on the HBO hit drama Oz (1997-2003).

Her multitude of credits as an actress, singer and dancer would later result to one of her biggest crowning achievements in 2019: She is the first Latina to be elevated to PEGOT status, a small group of entertainers who have won a Peabody, Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award.
READ MORE: Rita Moreno Was Over Being Stereotyped in Hollywood, so She Quit Making Movies for Seven Years
Isabel Perón - First Latina Female President

Despite her lower-middle-class background and her fifth-grade education, former nightclub dancer Isabel Perón would become Latin America's first female president.

Born in Argentina in 1931, Isabel Perón's rise to power would be through her husband, Argentinian president Juan Perón, who was previously married to the late and beloved Eva Perón (aka Evita). As the third wife, Isabel, known to her countrymen as "Isabelita," would serve as her husband's vice president and First Lady during his third presidential term, starting in 1973.

However, just a year in office, Juan suffered from a series of heart attacks and died on July 1, 1974. Isabel took over as president, and while her nation and political allies and even some of her husband's enemies initially showed support for her, she quickly fell out of favor after she issued a government-run suppression campaign against her adversaries, including a string of political murders and anti-left-wing policy measures and purges.

In 1976 Isabel was forced out by a military coup and remained under house arrest before being allowed to move to Spain. In 2007 an Argentinian judge issued an order for her arrest for the disappearance of an activist in 1976, but Spanish courts refused to extradite her, citing the charges didn't fall under the category of crimes against humanity.

Ellen Ochoa - First Latina Astronaut in Space

Born in Los Angeles in 1958, Ellen Ochoa immersed herself in the sciences, graduating from San Diego State University with a bachelor's in physics (1980) and later from Stanford University with a master's in science (1981) and a doctorate in electrical engineering (1985).

As a doctorate student, she focused her studies primarily on optical systems involving high tech space exploration, which eventually led her into the NASA space program in 1991. Two years later, Ochoa became the first Latina woman to fly into space, which occurred aboard the shuttle Discovery.

Ochoa would complete a total of four space missions during her career at NASA and would make history once again when she became the first Latina director of the agency's Johnson Space Center in 2013.

Evangelina Rodriguez - First Dominican Female Doctor

Despite being born into poverty and discriminated against for being born of partial African descent, Afro-Dominican Evangelina Rodriguez became the first woman from the Dominican Republic to earn her medical degree.

Born in 1879, Rodriguez was raised by her grandmother and diligently worked her way through school and earned her education, despite the social and cultural challenges of being a poor half-Black female who was a product of wedlock. She received her medical degree from the University of the Dominican Republic in 1909 and began building her career in small towns and giving medical care to the poorest citizens.

After scrounging her earnings for many years, Rodriguez furthered her expertise by studying gynecology and pediatrics in France in 1921 and graduated four years later. She returned to her country and cared for her patients, while also becoming a political firebrand, advocating for women's rights and issues, such as birth control, and speaking out against dictator Rafael Trujillo.

Gabriela Mistral - First Latina Author to Win the Nobel Prize in Literature

Tragic love, childhood, piety, sadness, bitterness and the politics of the times brought forth the lyrical poetry that defined Chilean poet, diplomat and educator Gabriela Mistral. Born in 1889 as Lucila Godoy Alcayaga, the poet would later go by her pseudonym Gabriela Mistral, which she created by fusing the names of her favorite poets Gabriele D'Annunzio and Frédéric Mistral.

While working on her poetry as a young woman, Mistral also served as a village school teacher. An intense romance with a railway worker who would end up killing himself, was one of several tragedies throughout her life that would inspire her poetry, and it was her sonnets memorializing the dead, Sonetos de la muerte, in 1914 that would make her famous throughout Latin America.

As an artist and intellectual who gained international fame for her poetry, Mistral was invited to travel the world as a cultural ambassador for the League of Nations and lived in France and Italy in the mid-1920s to early 1930s. She lectured and served as an educator throughout the United States, Europe and Cuba and received honorary degrees at renowned universities. In 1945 she was the first Latin American female poet to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Isabel Allende - First Latina Author Dubbed as Most Widely Read in the World

Another Chilean artist, Isabel Allende, would follow in Mistral's footsteps to become "the world's most widely read Spanish-language author." In fact, Allende would become the first woman to be awarded the Gabriela Mistral Order of Merit.

Born in Peru in 1942, Allende would gain international recognition for her magical realism in novels such as The House of Spirits and City of Beasts. Drawing from historical events (her father's first cousin was Chilean president Salvador Allende, who was overthrown in a military coup in 1973) and her own experience, Allende honors the stories of women in mythical fashion and is credited to have transformed non-fiction literature.

Among her many awards, Allende received Chile's National Literature Prize in 2010 and was honored by President Barack Obama with a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014 as well as an honorary degree from Harvard that same year.

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen - First Latina & Cuban-American to Serve in Congress

Political activism ran in Ilena Ros-Lehtinen's family. Born in Cuba in 1952 and later immigrating to the United States at age eight, Ros-Lehtinen grew up with an anti-Castro activist father and memories of escaping Fidel Castro's regime. Focusing her career in education, Ros-Lehtinen earned both her a bachelor's degree in 1975 and a master's degree in 1985 at Florida International University. In 2004 she received her doctorate in education from the University of Miami.

While operating a private school in Miami in the early 80s, Ros-Lehtinen was elected to the Florida House of Representatives, becoming the first Latina to accomplish this. She continued her groundbreaking streak by becoming the first Latina to serve in the state senate and in 1989, the first Latina and first Cuban-American to serve in the United States Congress as a member of the House of Representatives. Starting in 2011, she also became the first female to ever manage a regular standing committee, the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

As a moderate Republican, Ros-Lehtinen was considered one of the most popular bipartisan politicians before retiring her House seat in 2017. She was the first House Republican to come out in support of gay marriage and served as a member of numerous caucuses in her 30-year political career, including the LGBT Equality Caucus, the Climate Solutions Caucus and the Congressional Pro-Life Women's Caucus.

Maria Elena Salinas - First Latina Journalist to Win a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award

Born in 1954, Los Angeles native Maria Elena Salinas is distinguished for being the longest-running female TV news anchor in the U.S. and the first Latina to earn a Lifetime Achievement Emmy. With a journalism career spanning over three decades, Salinas has interviewed world leaders - from presidents to heads of state to dictators - and served as the co-anchor for Univision's nightly news broadcast as well as its news magazine program, Aquí y Ahora ( Here and Now).

Known as the "Voice of Hispanic America," Salinas recently retired from her role at Univision but continues to focus on her philanthropy, which includes education, promoting women's media, and increasing voter registration within her community. "I am grateful for having had the privilege to inform and empower the Latino community through the work my colleagues and I do with such passion," she stated while stepping down from Univision, adding, "As long as I have a voice, I will always use it to speak on their behalf."

Eulalia Guzmán - First Mexican Female Archaeologist

Born in 1890 in San Pedro Piedra Gorda, Eulalia Guzmán was an educator, feminist and philosopher best known as Mexico's first female archaeologist. She helped develop the Ixcateopan, Guerrero archaeological project, an archive of her country's history, and the National Library of Anthropology and History.

Although some of Guzmán's archaeological work became controversial among Mexican scholars for their lack of authentication - namely her claim that she discovered the remains of the Aztec Emperor, Cuauhtémoc - she was popular among Indigenous populations who celebrated her accomplishments.

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Sonia Sotomayor and 9 Other Latina Pioneers of the 19th, 20th and 21st Centuries

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Whether it be in politics, science, medicine or the arts, Latinas have defied social, cultural, and gender stereotypes throughout many generations and have become pioneers in their respective fields and native countries.

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10 Inspiring Latinas Who've Made History - Google Arts & Culture

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Google Arts & Culture features content from over 2000 leading museums and archives who have partnered with the Google Cultural Institute to bring the world's treasures online.

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There isn't an industry in which Hispanic Americans haven't made their mark in history, with some of the most iconic politicians, singers, actors, athletes and more coming from Hispanic descent.

We're celebrating 15 of the most notable Hispanic Americans whose influence has touched everything from pop culture to politics:

Rita Moreno

Rita Moreno has been a household name for decades, ever since she captivated audiences with her fierce portrayal of Anita in 1961's West Side Story. Moreno would go on to cement her name in history by winning the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for the role, becoming the first-ever Hispanic American woman to win an Academy Award.

Born Rosa Alverio on December 11, 1931 in Humacao, Puerto Rico, the actress later changed her last name to match her stepfather's after she immigrated to New York City with her mom in 1936. Moreno made her Broadway debut in Skydrift at age 13, with her career taking off after that.

The pioneering actress went on to star in dozens of film, TV and stage shows through her decades-long career. She became only the third person ever to achieve the coveted EGOT, winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award by 1977. In 2019, she added a P to the achievement with a Peabody Award, one of only three performers to accomplish this feat.
READ MORE: Rita Moreno Was Over Being Stereotyped in Hollywood, so She Quit Making Movies for Seven Years
Cesar Chavez

Born in Arizona to a Mexican American family, Cesar Chavez grew up around the people he later helped through his activism. The defining moment in Chavez's life came when his family moved to California during the Great Depression to become farm workers, cementing his fight for farmers rights.

After receiving an honorable discharge from the Navy, Chavez worked as a lumber handler in San Jose, where he helped set up a chapter of the Community Service Organization, a pivotal civil rights organization for Latinos in California.

Chavez made the CSO his full-time job after he was laid off, meeting fellow activist Dolores Huerta while traveling to chapters around the state of California. The two would go on to found the National Farm Workers Association, later the United Farm Workers labor union, becoming primary figures for Latin American civil rights.

Though Chavez later received criticism from within for his singular control of the union, including times in which he fired those who opposed him, the activist is still regarded as an important civil rights leader and posthumously received the Presidential Medal of Freedom the year after his death in 1993. He was 66.
READ MORE: Martin Luther King Jr. Praised Cesar Chavez For His 'Indefatigable Work'
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

In just a few short years, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has become one of the major leading voices for Hispanic Americans in politics.

Also known by her initials AOC, Ocasio-Cortez was born in 1989 in the Bronx, New York to a Puerto Rican mother and a Bronx-born father of Puerto Rican descent. She excelled through high school after her family moved to the suburbs and was in her second year at Boston College when her dad tragically died of lung cancer in 2008.

After graduating college in 2011, Ocasio-Cortez returned to the Bronx and later campaigned for Senator Bernie Sanders in the 2016 democratic primary. She visited Flint, Michigan, and the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North Dakota after the general election, where she attended the Dakota Access Pipeline protests and decided to run for office.

Ocasio-Cortez eventually challenged Democratic incumbent Joe Crowley, the first to do so since 2004, and pulled off a surprise primary win in June 2018. Through a grassroots campaign, she became the youngest person elected into the House of Representatives during the midterm elections that year.

"I'm hoping that this is a beginning," Ocasio-Cortez said at her victory party in 2018. "That we can continue this organizing and continue what we've learned."

Since her arrival in Congress, Ocasio-Cortez's vocal support of left-leaning ideas, including co-sponsoring the Green New Deal package to combat climate change, has made her a popular figure in progressive politics. She once again won her primary in June 2020, all but ensuring her return to Congress for a second term after the general election in November.

Roberto Clemente

A pioneer of the game, Roberto Clemente paved the way for Hispanic Americans in Major League Baseball.

The prolific right fielder was born in 1934 in Puerto Rico, joined the island's amateur baseball league when he was 16 and made the professional league two years later at 18.

Another two years and Clemente was off to Montreal, Quebec, to play in the minor leagues in 1954. That same year, the Pittsburgh Pirates scouted him during training in Richmond, Virginia and Clemente was called up to the majors by November of that year in the rookie draft.

Clemente, wearing the iconic number 21, went on to become the first Latin American and Caribbean to win a World Series as a starting player in 1960.

The athlete died in a plane crash in 1972 while on his way to Nicaragua to deliver aid to earthquake victims when he was 38. In his honor, the MLB renamed the Commissioner's Award to the Roberto Clemente Award, given to the player who all-around exemplifies sportsmanship and community outreach. He was also inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973, making him the first Latin American and Caribbean honoree.
READ MORE: How Roberto Clemente Lived Life to the Fullest Before Tragically Dying in a Plane Crash
Julia Alvarez

Dominican American writer Julia Alvarez has been enchanting readers with her words since the early 1990s.

Alvarez was born in New York City in 1950 before her family moved to the Dominican Republic when she was a baby. They stayed there throughout Alvarez's childhood until her father's involvement in a failed attempt to overthrow the militant dictator forced the family to flee to the United States in 1960.

The traumatic event has since made its way into several of Alvarez's works, including the poem "Exile" in which she recounts the night her family fled. She went on to become one of the most critically revered Latina writers and has published poems, novels and essays throughout her career.

Jennifer Lopez

"Jenny from the Block" has always paid tribute to her Latin roots throughout her success.

Jennifer Lopez was born in the Bronx, New York, in 1969 to Puerto Rican parents who supported her ambitions to become a singer, taking singing and dancing lessons starting at 5 years old. This changed when Lopez dropped out of college to pursue acting, with her parents strongly opposing her aspirations.

After touring the world with various productions, Lopez made her breakthrough performance in Selena. The 1997 movie, in which she played the beloved Mexican singer Selena Quintanilla, who had been killed just years prior, earned Lopez praise and put her on the fast track to superstardom.

Since then, Lopez has remained one of the most notable Hispanic American figures in the movie and music industry, often earning the status of "triple threat." She also earned critical acclaim for her role in 2019's Hustlers, which generated Oscar buzz that resulted in strong opposition to her being snubbed for the awards show.
READ MORE: The Story of Jennifer Lopez's Iconic Green Jungle Versace Dress
Sylvia Rivera

In addition to being an influential Hispanic American, drag queen Sylvia Rivera is also an iconic figure in the gay and transgender rights movement.

Rivera, born in New York City in 1951 of Puerto Rican and Venezuelan descent, had a rough upbringing. Her father left the family when she was a baby and her mother later died by suicide when Rivera was just 3 years old. Then still known as Ray, the young child was raised by her Venezuelan grandmother who strongly rejected the beginnings of Rivera's transgender identity forming.

Rivera was forced to leave home when she was 10, making her way through the rough streets of New York City. She often faced discrimination and violence, compelling her to begin her transgender and gay rights activism.

"We were sick and tired of being put down," Rivera said in The Question of Equality: Lesbian and Gay Politics in America Since Stonewall. "Things just started happening."

Rivera and her friend Marsha P. Johnson, both sex workers, made an indelible mark in the advancement of LGBTQ rights. Both are credited with forming the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), later changed to Transgender, which helped house and support LGBTQ youth and sex workers in Manhattan. They also worked with the Gay Liberation Front, founded after the Stonewall Riot in 1969.

Rivera died in February 2002 due to complications of liver cancer. She has since been heralded alongside Johnson as the mothers of the gay rights movement. Rivera was honored as one of the 50 activists included in the Stonewall National Monument, the first national monument dedicated to LGBTQ rights.

Ellen Ochoa

Ellen Ochoa made her mark by becoming the first Hispanic American woman to go to space with a nine-day mission in 1993.

Ochoa was born in 1958 in Los Angeles, California, years after her paternal grandparents immigrated from Mexico. She first obtained her physics degree from San Diego State University and later her masters and doctorate from Stanford University's department of electrical engineering by 1985.

Through her impressive research work, NASA selected Ochoa in 1991 and she became an astronaut in July of that year. Two years later, Ochoa made history on board the Space Shuttle Discovery on a mission to study the Earth's ozone layer. She later completed three more missions.

Ochoa became the first Hispanic American director of the Johnson Space Center in 2013, only the second woman to take the helm. After retiring with 30 years of service, Ochoa continues to advocate for women in STEM.

"I think we need all the best and brightest people working in science and engineering fields, and that is certainly not limited to men or white men or anything like that," she told NBC News in 2019.

Marco Rubio

Senator Marco Rubio has made his mark in politics as a leading member of the Republican party.

A Miami native, Rubio was born in 1971 to Cuban immigrants who fled the Batista regime in 1956, two years before Fidel Castro took over through the Cuban Revolution. Though Rubio obtained citizenship through his birth, his parents didn't become naturalized citizens until after his birth in 1975.

Rubio went to Tarkio College in Missouri for one year on a football scholarship in 1989 before returning to Florida and later transferring to the University of Florida. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1993 there and later earned his law degree from the University of Miami in 1996.

His career in politics started just three years later when he won a run-off election in the fight for a seat in the Florida House of Representatives. He rose through the ranks and became House Speaker in 2005, the first Cuban American to do so.

The politician announced his intention to run for U.S. Senate in 2009 and was elected the next year during the midterm elections. Rubio later entered the Republican presidential primary race in April 2015, becoming one of the first Hispanic Americans to have aspirations of the highest office.

Though Rubio ended his campaign in March 2016 after placing second in Florida, the Senator did pick up three primary victories in Minnesota, Puerto Rico and Washington D.C.

He pivoted and ran for Senate re-election that year instead, beating out his Democrat opponent Patrick Murphy with 52 percent of the vote.

Sonia Sotomayor

A Bronx native of Puerto Rican descent, Sonia Sotomayor became the first Hispanic American to serve as a member of the Supreme Court.

Sotomayor was born in 1954 in the New York City borough, where she grew up in a predominantly Catholic and Puerto Rican community. She quickly made education a priority through her mother's insistence after her dad died when she was 9 years old.

"I was going to college and I was going to become an attorney, and I knew that when I was ten. Ten. That's no jest," she told the NY Daily News in 1998.

The future judge went on to graduate valedictorian from high school and earned a full scholarship to Princeton University. She graduated in 1976 after establishing herself as a student advocate, working hard to ensure Princeton began hiring Latin American faculty. She went on to Yale Law School and graduated in 1979, earning her acceptance to the New York Bar the next year.

After working for over four years as an assistant district attorney in New York and stepping away to work in private practice, Sotomayor was nominated to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York by President George H. W. Bush in 1991 and to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit by President Bill Clinton in 1997.

Twelve years later, Sotomayor made history when President Barack Obama picked her as his first nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2009.
READ MORE: How Sonia Sotomayor Overcame Adversity to Become the United States' First Hispanic and Latina Justice
Lin-Manuel Miranda

Few Hispanic Americans have made a bigger impact in recent pop culture than Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Miranda was born in 1980 in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City to Puerto Rican parents, who immigrated to New York to pursue academics. Miranda's mother Dr. Luz Towns-Miranda is a clinical psychologist and his father Luis A. Miranda, Jr. is a Democratic Party consultant and immigrant advocate.

Miranda was raised around musicals and started writing his first title at Wesleyan University in 1999 during his sophomore year. In the Heights, loosely based on his own experiences growing up, would go on to open on Broadway in March 2008. Miranda won his first Tony Award that summer after the show received 13 nominations, earning four wins including Best Musical.

Influenced by his upbringing in the predominantly Latin Washington Heights, and his frequent vacations in Puerto Rico, the musical was heralded for featuring a largely Latin American cast with characters often singing and speaking in Spanish.

But Miranda's largest mark on culture came when his musical Hamilton opened on Broadway in 2015. Following the life of Alexander Hamilton, Miranda reimagined the beginnings of America told by all actors of color, whose ancestors didn't have a say in how the country was built. The hip-hop musical quickly became one of the most profitable shows to ever hit Broadway.

Miranda once again won several Tony Awards for the show, including Best Musical, Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical.

Ted Cruz

Much like Rubio, Ted Cruz has elevated the representation of Hispanic Americans in Congress.

Cruz was born Rafael Edward Cruz in Calgary, Canada, in 1970 to an American mother and a Cuban father who had been living in Canada for three years. His father initially left the family and moved to Texas, though his parents reconciled and the family relocated to Houston in 1974. They later divorced in 1997.

The future politician graduated valedictorian from his high school and went to Princeton, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in public policy in 1992. Cruz went on to Harvard Law School, earning his degree in 1995.

Cruz quickly entered politics, joining George W. Bush 's presidential campaign in 1999 where he assisted in building Bush's legal team during the Florida presidential recounts.

After serving as Texas Solicitor General from 2003 to 2008, Cruz stepped away to work in private practice. He returned to public policy when he was elected U.S. Senator of Texas in the 2012 election.

Cruz ran for president in 2016, entering the primary race in March 2015, earning 12 states and receiving 7.8 million votes. He suspended his campaign in May 2016, weeks before the Republican National Convention that made Donald Trump's nomination official.

Dolores Huerta

At 90 years old, Dolores Huerta still stands as a giant in the fight for Hispanic American labor rights.

Born in 1930, the New Mexico native of Mexican descent grew up in a farm worker community in Stockton, California, with her mom and two brothers. She briefly worked as an elementary school teacher after attending college before setting off on the path of civil rights activism.

She joined the Community Service Organization, where she later met fellow activist Chavez. She co-founded the Agricultural Workers Association in 1960 and collaborated with Chavez to found the National Farm Workers Association in 1962.

Her activism continued in California, where she made a name for herself by supporting and leading various strikes for workers' rights. She later stepped away from the union to focus on women's rights after she was badly beaten by a San Francisco police officer during a peaceful raid, resulting in a long recovery.

Huerta now runs the Dolores Huerta Foundation and has received several accolades, including an inaugural Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Human Rights in 1998 under President Clinton and the Presidential Medal of Freedom under President Obama in 2012.

Julián Castro

On the Democratic side, Julián Castro has been a rising star in American politics.

Castro is of Mexican descent and was born with his twin brother, Joaquin, in San Antonio, Texas in 1974. His roots in Texas trace back to 1920, when his grandmother immigrated as a child to live with extended family. Castro credits his mother, a Chicana political activist, for his life in public service. He counted her influence as the reason why he and his brother, a U.S. Representative for Texas, are politicians.

"Growing up, she would take us to a lot of rallies and organizational meetings and other things that are very boring for an 8-, 9-, 10-year-old," Castro told in 2012. "What I did get from my mother was a very strong sense that if you did public policy right, and you did well in public service, that it's a positive influence on people's lives."

He graduated from Stanford University in 1996, interning for Clinton administration at the White House between his sophomore and junior year, and later Harvard Law School in 2000.

Castro was elected to San Antonio City Council the next year in 2001 until he ran for mayor in 2005, coming in second by a small margin of votes. He was then successful in 2009 after stepping away to run his own law practice. Castro was re-elected in 2011 and 2013.

He resigned as mayor in 2014 after accepting President Obama's offer to become the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, in which he served until Obama's term ended in 2017.

Castro was one of the first democrats to announce his 2020 presidential campaign, making it official in January 2019. A year later, Castro suspended his campaign and endorsed Senator Elizabeth Warren.

Gloria Estefan

Singer Gloria Estefan is often synonymous with Latin music in the United States.

Born in Cuba in 1957, Estefan's family fled to Miami during the Cuban Revolution in 1959. Her father enlisted in the military shortly after they immigrated and took part in the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba, where he was captured by his own cousin and held prisoner for two years.

While performing in a church ensemble in 1975, Estefan first met her future husband Emilio Estefan, who had recently formed a band in Miami. She and her cousin were invited to join his band and renamed it Miami Sound Machine, leading to hits like "Conga," "Anything for You," "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You," and "Hot Summer Nights." The band's name was dropped in 1989, with Estefan embarking on a successful solo career ever since.

Estefan married Emilio in 1976 and the couple welcomed two children, Nayib and Emily. Her lengthy career has earned her three Grammy Awards and a Presidential Medal of Freedom under President Obama in 2015, as well as the Kennedy Center Honors in 2017. The musical On Your Feet, telling the story of her and Emilio's life, premiered on Broadway in 2015.

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15 Influential Hispanic Americans Who Made History

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There isn't an industry in which Hispanic Americans haven't made their mark in history, with some of the most iconic politicians, singers, actors, athletes and more coming from Hispanic descent.

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HMOH RECIPIENTS

TOTAL: 60
LIVING: 4

Listed below are all 60 Hispanic Medal of Honor Recipients.
They are categorized by the War they fought, the date their
citation was awarded, and their place of Birth. Click on any
section for a closer look. For current nominees click Below.

Click to enlarge

CIVIL WAR

John Ortega, U.S.Navy

December 31, 1864

Spain

Phillip Bazaar,U.S.Navy

June 16, 1865

Chile

France Silva, U.S.M.C.

June 28, 1900

Hayward,CA.

WORLD WAR I

David Barkley Cantu,U.S.Army

(KIA)

November 9,1918

Laredo,TX.

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HMOH RECIPIENTS TOTAL: 60 LIVING: 4 Listed below are all 60 Hispanic Medal of Honor Recipients. They are categorized by the War they fought, the date their citation was awarded, and their place of Birth. Click on any section for a closer look. For current nominees click Below.

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24 Famous Hispanic Americans Who Made History

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During Hispanic Heritage Month and beyond, take a look at just a few notable famous Hispanic people who have changed the course of history.

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19 Hispanic Heroes You Should Know About for National Hispanic Heritage Month

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Number eight on our list basically invented writing about feminism, NBD.

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National Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15 to October 15, and is celebrated in part to recognize the contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans to the United States. To honor Hispanic culture, and its impact on America, we look at 10 important Hispanic Americans in U.S. political life, past and present.

1. Jorge Ramos

Ramos is a Mexican-American journalist who anchors the Spanish language Univision nightly news, an English language news program, and was named one of Time Magazine's Most Influential People. Known as "The Walter Cronkite of Latino America," Ramos left Mexico for America at 24 after the Mexican government censored a critical story he produced, and he became a U.S. citizen in 2008.

Having co-moderated presidential debates, interviewed world leaders like Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez, and been an outspoken pro-immigrant voice, Ramos will continue to be a major figure in Hispanic-American life.

2. Justice Sonia Sotomayor

Before being appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Obama in 2009, Justice Sotomayor was on the board of directors of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and an instructor at New York University School of Law and Columbia Law School.

Born in the Bronx to Puerto Rican-born parents, Sotomayor was in the majority in two major Supreme Court landmark rulings in the last term: King v. Burwell and Obergefell v. Hodges.

3. / 4. Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio

The two senators share a lot in common: both have parents that emigrated from Cuba, made names for themselves in the Senate after being elected in 2010, and are now contenders for the Republican presidential nomination.

Before arriving in the Senate, Cruz clerked for Chief Justice William Rehnquist and was the Solicitor General of Texas, while Rubio was the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. As two of the three Hispanic Americans in the Senate-the other being Robert Menendez of New Jersey-Cruz and Rubio bring to light the role of Hispanic Americans in national politics.

5. / 6. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro and Representative Joaquin Castro

These identical twins were born to a Chicana political activist who instilled in them the importance of public service and their Mexican roots. After they went to Stanford University and Harvard Law School together, Joaquin was a representative in the Texas legislature until being elected to the House of Representatives in 2013. Julian was Mayor of San Antonio, Texas from 2009 to 2014, until he was nominated by President Obama to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Both have made waves in American politics, and there is speculation that Julian could be tapped for the vice-presidential spot on the 2016 Democratic ticket.

7. Ellen Ochoa

Ochoa was the first Hispanic woman in space, and has logged nearly 1,000 hours in space since her first mission in 1993. She is the co-inventor on three patents for optical inspection systems, was the head of the Intelligent Systems Technology Branch at NASA's Ames Research Center, and is currently the director of the Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX.

8. Eva Longoria

Longoria is best known as an actress, but she also has a master's degree in Chicano Studies and is deeply involved in advocacy and nonprofit work. The Eva Longoria Foundation supports Latina entrepreneurship through micro-loan programs; funds STEM extracurricular activities and mentorship for Latina students; and raises awareness on a national stage about issues relating to Latina education.

Longoria has worked to expand opportunities afforded to the Hispanic-American community through testimony before the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee and speeches at the Clinton Global Initiative Conference.

9. Luis Muñoz Marín

Marin was a politician who was called the " Father of Modern Puerto Rico." He was the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico when Congress granted the territory the right to elect its own governor, and was reelected in 1952, 1956 and 1960. He fought to rapidly expand economic growth in Puerto Rico, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963 for his work.

10. Antonia C. Novello

Dr. Novello was the first woman and the first Hispanic to become Surgeon General of the United States, after serving for 2 decades at the National Institutes of Health. As Surgeon General, she focused on the health of young people, women and minorities, and spoke out against drinking, smoking and drug abuse.

After serving in that role, Novello worked as UNICEF's special representative for health and nutrition. She also became a visiting professor of health policy at Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public health, and was the Commissioner of Health for the State of New York.

Jonathan Stahl is an intern at the National Constitution Center. He is also a senior at the University of Pennsylvania, majoring in politics, philosophy and economics.

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10 influential Hispanic Americans in U.S. politics

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National Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15 to October 15, and is celebrated in part to recognize the contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans to the United States. To honor Hispanic culture, and its impact on America, we look at 10 important Hispanic Americans in U.S. political life, past and present.

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Sunday marks the end of Hispanic Heritage Month, a time when we reflect on the accomplishments and progress of Hispanic culture around the world.

You might wonder why Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15 to October 15, rather than the beginning of the month. There's actually an interesting reason behind the timing. September coincides with the independence of four Latin American nations: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Other Latin American countries also celebrate their independence around that date, with Mexico celebrating on September 16, Chile on September 18, and Belize on September 21.

To honor Hispanic Heritage Month, here are some lesser-known heroes that brought positive change to their communities:
1. Octaviano Larrazolo - 1st elected Hispanic US senator
Born in 1859 in Allende, in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, Octaviano Larrazolo would go on to influence US thinking on Hispanic issues. Larrazolo came to Arizona in 1875 with Reverend J.B. Salpointe, who taught Larrazolo theology. Larrazolo taught in Tucson for a year before eventually settling in Las Vegas, New Mexico and became involved with the state's Democratic Party. Working his way up the political chain, Larrazolo was elected Governor of New Mexico in 1918. He was then elected to the Senate in 1928, becoming the first Hispanic to accomplish such a feat. Sadly, Larrazolo fell ill soon after taking office and died just six months into his term. But the unfortunate end didn't prevent Octaviano Larrazolo from making his permanent mark on Hispanic and US history.
2. Sylvia Mendez - Paved the way for school desegregation in the US
Sylvia Mendez was born in 1936 and grew up at a time when Hispanics were sent to "Mexican schools" and not allowed to attend schools designated for "Whites Only." Realizing the white schools had access to better books and other educational benefits, Sylvia's aunt wished for her family to attend a white school. The aunt was told that her lighter-skinned children could attend the school but the eight year-old Sylvia could not because her skin was darker. After Sylvia was denied enrollment to the white school, her parents sued the California public school system. After years of litigation, Sylvia was finally allowed to attend and became the first Hispanic to enroll in a "Whites Only" school. The case paved the way for the more well-known Brown v. Board of Education case less than ten years later. In 2011, President Obama awarded Mendez with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country's highest civilian honor.
3. Hector P. Garcia - Helped bring recognition to Hispanic World War II Veterans
Hector P. Garcia led a long, decorated career as a US Army officer who served in World War II, earning six Bronze Stars for his efforts. But perhaps his bravest mission involved putting his name on the line for a fellow fallen soldier. In 1945, Army Private Félix Longoria was killed by a Japanese sniper in the Philippines. Longoria's body was returned to his native Three Rivers, Texas, where his family sought to use a funeral chapel in the town. However, Longoria's family was rebuffed when the funeral director stated that "the whites won't like it" if the service were held at the chapel. After hearing about Longoria's story, Garcia lobbied then-President Lyndon B. Johnson to correct the situation. Johnson eventually heard about Garcia's efforts and agreed that Longoria be buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
4. Dolores Huerta - Co-founder of the United Farm Workers Union
Huerta is perhaps the best known on the list, as she's considered one of the most important labor activists in US history. In 1960, Huerta founded the Agricultural Workers Association (AWA), where she set up voter drives and lobbied politicians to provide pensions and public assistance for non-citizen migrant workers. Alongside Cesar Chavez and Gilberto Padilla, Huerta co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA). While Chavez served as the charismatic leader, Huerta played an equally valuable role organizing and negotiating with businesses to provide fair treatment for workers. In 1965, Huerta oversaw the merging of the AWA and the NFWA to create the United Farm Workers. This group went on to organize the famous strike by California grape pickers that led to 26 companies agreeing to improve working conditions. Throughout the past four decades, Huerta continued her fight to improve the often-overlooked plight of migrant farm workers. Last month, a documentary film about Huerta's life, titled , was released in US theatres.
5. Sor Juana Inês de la Cruz - 17th century feminist writer and thinker
Certainly the oldest on the list, Sor Juana Inês de la Cruz was a crusader for women's rights at a time when the issue wasn't even on the public's radar. She was born circa November 12, 1651 in San Miguel Nepantla, Tepetlixpa, Mexico and showed early signs of extreme intelligence, such as learning to read at the age of three. Inês de la Cruz studied to be a nun at an early age, mainly so she could devote her life to studying without the disruptions of a "fixed occupation." She spent the rest of her life in Mexico City, where she composed poetry and prose in a variety of genres. This included comedy and scholarly works, which was unusual for a nun at the time. Inés de la Cruz is perhaps best known for her work, Respuesta a Sor Filotea , which argued for educational access for women. Her stature rose in the 20th century, coinciding with the popularity of the feminist movement. Today, her image appears on Mexican currency and she is considered the first feminist author of the New World.
6. Nydia Velazquez - 1st Puerto Rican elected to Congress
Velazquez holds the honor of being the most current women on the list as she still serves in the US House of Representatives, a position she's held for fifteen years. Velazquez was born to a family of poor sugarcane farmers, who became self-taught political activists. She recalls a childhood where politics were always discussed at the dinner table, usually focused on worker's rights. After being the first in her family to graduate high school, Velazquez arrived on the mainland, eventually receiving her MA in political science from New York University. After returning to Puerto Rico to teach for a few years, Velazquez came back to the mainland and began her political career. She worked herself up from the bottom, starting as a representative's aide. She soon secured a seat on the New York City Council and within eight years, was elected to Congress. Velazquez continues to advocate for human and civil rights for the Puerto Rican people to this day.
7. Ellen Ochoa - 1st Hispanic to leave Earth's atmosphere
In 1993, Ochoa became made history when she served on a 9-day mission into space aboard the shuttle . This was far from Ochoa's humble beginnings in La Mesa, California, where she lived with her single mother and three brothers. From an early age, Ochoa thrived in school and eventually earned her doctorate in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 1985. This led to a research position at Sandia National Laboratories and the NASA Ames Research Center. In 1990, NASA chose Ochoa to become an astronaut, serving as a crew representative for flight software and robotics. Three years later, Ochoa became the first Hispanic to reach space, as part on a mission to study the Earth's ozone layer. In 2011, the city of Cleveland celebrated Ochoa's accomplishments during Hispanic Heritage Month.
8. Ralph Lazo - The only non-Japanese American to voluntarily stay in World War II internment camps
17-year old Ralph Lazo grew up around a group of Japanese-Americans in his Los Angeles neighborhood and formed a tight relationship with the community. When he heard that his neighbors were being forced into World War II internment camps, Lazo volunteered to take a train along with some of his Japanese-American friends. This led them to the Manzanar Internment camp in California, where Lazo finished high school and was voted Class President. His advocacy on behalf of Japanese Americans led to the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, where the US officially apologized for the internment camps.
9. Rodolfo Gonzalez - Poet and champion of the Chicano movement
Rodolfo Gonzalez grew up in a tough Denver neighborhood during the Great Depression, which took an especially heavy toll on Mexican Americans. His father instilled a sharp sense of history from his native Mexico and encouraged his son to take pride in his heritage. After becoming a successful professional boxer, Gonzalez retired in 1955 to write poetry. In the 1960s, he composed the poem, "I Am Joaquin," which many view as the first spark in the Chicano movement. The poem discusses Gonzalez's idea of the Chicano, which represented a combination of conflicting Indian, European, Mexican and American identities. Gonzalez devoted the rest of his life to teaching cultural identity, focusing on building self esteem among discriminated people.
10. Juan Felipe Herrera - First Chicano Poet Laureate
Herrera grew up in a family of migrant workers who traveled throughout California, taking work where they could and often living in tents. Eventually settling in San Diego, Herrera graduated from high school and received a scholarship to UCLA. He later earned a master's degree from Stanford and an MFA from the renowned Iowa Writer's Workshop. As his career flourished, his experiences as a poor campesino continued to influence his writing. In 2015, Herrera was named poet laureate, one of literature's most distinctive honors. He became the first Chicano to receive the award.

We encourage you to explore these inspiring individuals more in-depth. Their stories form a tapestry of human achievement, linked through our unique cultural heritage. Let their stories inspire you to progress forward and thrive.

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10 Unsung Hispanic Heroes That Changed History

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Sunday marks the end of Hispanic Heritage Month, a time when we reflect on the accomplishments and progress of Hispanic culture around the world. You might wonder why Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15 to October 15, rather than the beginning of the month. There's actually an interesting reason behind the timing.

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Over the centuries, many remarkable scientists have emerged from Spanish-speaking lands, cultures and ancestors. Though grouping such a diverse collection of people under a single rubric -- particularly the politically expedient but dubious term Hispanic - isn't ideal, it does make room to explore their wide-ranging array of backgrounds and accomplishments.

Take these two eminent medical men both born in Caracas, Venezuela, whom you'll meet in a little bit. The first, a child of Spanish immigrants, spent his life in his homeland and dedicated himself to the treatment of leprosy there; the second, born of Spanish Moroccan and French Moroccan parents, spent his formative years in Paris and most of his life in America, and studied the genetic causes of autoimmune diseases. Similar, yet worlds apart; that's this list in a nutshell.

Before Google doodles, we honored important forgotten figures with postage stamps. Carlos Juan Finlay, the Cuban physician who first linked yellow fever to mosquitoes in 1881, has received both tributes. Given the thousands of lives he saved and the decades of scorn he endured, we'd say he deserved them.

Born in Puerto Príncipe, Cuba, Finlay studied abroad before returning to Havana as a general practitioner and ophthalmologist with a penchant for scientific research. At the time, yellow fever still ravaged the tropics, terrorizing populations and disrupting shipping, especially in Havana [sources: Frierson; Haas; PBS; WHO; UVHSL].

Finlay noticed that yellow fever epidemics roughly coincided with Havana's mosquito season, but his mosquito-transmission hypothesis was met with disdain for decades until he convinced American military surgeon Walter Reed (like the hospital) to look into it. Reed and his colleagues, who had been dispatched to Cuba to fight the disease that had killed so many soldiers during the Spanish-American War, helped Finlay improve his experiments and verified that the species now known as Aedes aegypti was indeed the culprit. Yellow fever was wiped out of Cuba as well as Panama, enabling engineers to finally complete the Panama Canal [sources: Haas; PBS; UVHSL].

Today, yellow fever afflicts roughly 200,000 and kills 30,000 people annually, mostly in African areas lacking vaccines. Symptom reduction remains the only treatment; untreated, the disease has a 50 percent mortality rate. Occurrences of yellow fever have ramped up in recent years [sources: WHO].

We're all painfully aware of how growth, sexual maturity and metabolism kick into overdrive during puberty, but we're usually too distracted to consider the tiny bean-shaped gland with its foot on the throttle. Bernardo Alberto Houssay was barely out of puberty himself when he began researching the pituitary gland, but then he was always a bit of a prodigy: The intelligence that helped him stand out from his seven siblings had previously earned him a spot in pharmacy school at age 14.

Houssay's research into the relationship between sugar metabolism and a pituitary hormone earned him the 1947 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine and, more importantly, marked a turning point in diabetes management. He shared the prize with Carl Cori and Gerty Cori (née Radnitz), pioneers in understanding the catalytic conversion of glycogen [sources: Magill; Nobel Prize; USASEF].

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Houssay performed research in circulation, respiration, immunity, the nervous system, digestion and the treatment of insect and snake bites. Although he was among the 150 educators sacked during Gen. Juan Perón's 1943 military coup, he became one of the most influential physician-scientists of 20th-century Latin America. His impact was felt through his extensive papers, his widely published textbook, "Human Physiology," and his organization of the Institute of Physiology at the University of Buenos Aires, which produced such medical luminaries as Luis Leloir and César Milstein, both on this list [sources: Magill; Houssay; USASEF].

The man credited with one of the most important Mesoamerican discoveries in history started out lecturing on legal philosophy. After discovering a love of ancient regional architecture and writing systems, the Mexico City native began taking classes in anthropology. In 1925, Alfonso Caso y Andrade added an M.A. in the subject to his philosophy master's degree and law degree, all from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) [sources: Anthropology News; Encyclopaedia Britannica; Gaillard; Smithsonian].

Caso's exploration of early Oaxacan cultures led him to the monumental discovery and excavation of Tomb Seven at Monte Albán. By studying burial offerings there, he proved that the Mixtec people succeeded the Zapotec as masters of the city. His finding further enabled him to define five major phases of the ancient capital's history, beginning in the 8th century B.C.E., that lined up with the history of other sites. These endeavors, combined with his contributions to cracking the Mixtec Codices, marked his best-known accomplishments in anthropology [sources: Anthropology News; Encyclopaedia Britannica; Gaillard; Smithsonian].

But Caso's influence extended far beyond the sciences. He was also a teacher, attorney, administrator, archaeologist and advocate for Mexico's American Indians. He also served as rector of UNAM and director of the National Museum and of the National Institute of Anthropology and History [sources: Anthropology News; Encyclopaedia Britannica; Gaillard; Smithsonian].

Much as fad diets might tell us to cut them out, energy-packed carbohydrates are essential to most life, thanks to two opposing chemical processes: combustion, which allows us to break down carbs and release energy needed for vital bodily processes, and synthesis, which enables us to use various sugars to build substances we need to live.

Before Argentine physician and biochemist Luis Federico Leloir did his groundbreaking research into the transformation of one sugar into another, combustion was well-understood, but synthesis remained a mysterious, largely guessed-at phenomenon. By isolating a new class of substances called sugar nucleotides, Leloir found the key to deciphering this voluminous backlog of unsolved metabolic reactions. A new field of biochemistry opened up virtually overnight, and Leloir received the 1970 Nobel Prize in chemistry [sources: Myrbäck; Parodi].

Leloir was born in Paris to Argentine parents and lived in Buenos Aires from the age of 2, with the exception of a few years spent abroad. After earning his medical degree from the University of Buenos Aires, he worked at the Institute of Physiology with Bernardo Houssay. In 1947, he established the Institute for Biochemical Research, Buenos Aires, where he began the lactose, or milk sugar, research that would lead to his great breakthrough [sources: Leloir; May].

A quick glance at Luis Alvarez's array of research and engineering projects reveals why colleagues described him as the "prize wild idea man." A sample: He built U.S. President Eisenhower an indoor golf-training machine, analyzed the Zapruder film and tried to locate an Egyptian pyramid's treasure chamber using cosmic rays [sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica; PBS; Sullivan; Wohl].

In 1938, Alvarez identified orbital-electron capture, radioactive decay in which a nucleus absorbs an orbital electron. The following year, he and Felix Bloch pioneered measuring a neutron's magnetic moment, that is, its tendency to align with an applied magnetic field (an important clue that the neutrally charged particle is made of electrically charged fundamental particles). During World War II, he invented several radar applications, worked on the Manhattan Project and rode in a chase plane during the Enola Gay's Hiroshima bombing. After the war, he worked on the first proton linear accelerator and was awarded the 1968 Nobel Prize in physics for his work with elementary particles [sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica; PBS; Sullivan; Wohl].

Physicists had already constructed cloud chambers and bubble chambers, which spotted speeding, charged particles via condensing vapor or boiling liquid. But tiny resonance particles, which existed for a trillionth of a trillionth of a second, were only detectable by the traces they left behind -- disintegration products and collision reactions with other particles. To tackle the task, Alvarez developed his own bubble chamber, camera stabilizers and a computerized system for analyzing bubble photographs. Together with the linear accelerators that he helped pioneer, these revolutionized the discovery of elemental particles, which he and his team discovered by the truckload [sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Nobel Prize; PBS; Sullivan; Wohl].

The world will forever associate two names with leprosy, aka Hansen's disease: Norwegian physician Gerhard Hansen, who in 1873 discovered the bacterium that causes it; and Jacinto Convit, who created a new vaccine for the slow-acting, disfiguring and deadly disease by combining a known tuberculosis treatment with an armadillo bacterium in 1987 [sources: BBC; Encyclopaedia Britannica; Chinea; Yandell].

But Convit, who was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and died there a century later, extended his hand beyond the confines of the lab or doctor's office. Moved after encountering the disease's poor and stigmatized victims during medical school, he soon dedicated himself to helping treat them and to combating the social stigma under which they lived [sources: BBC; Chinea].

Convit's vaccines for leprosy and leishmaniasis are no longer in use, and the search continues for universally effective and acceptable vaccines for both diseases.

We like to view ourselves as special snowflakes, as one-of-a-kind as our fingerprints. In a way, we are: The surfaces of our cells teem with a unique array of antigens that identify us and prevent our own immune systems, under normal circumstances, from attacking those cells. Ascertaining the genetic basis of this major histocompatibility complex, or MHC, earned Baruj Benacerraf the 1980 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine and advanced our understanding of immune response and autoimmune diseases (such as multiple sclerosis) by leaps and bounds. He shared the award with George D. Snell, who uncovered the initial evidence for the MHC in the 1940s in mice, and Jean Dausset, the first to find a human compatibility antigen [sources: Benacerraf; Encyclopaedia Britannica; Nobel Prize].

Speaking of the immune system, when using antibodies to combat viruses or bacteria, the human immune system favors an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach. Unfortunately, the resulting soup of B cells and immunoglobulin is unsuited to targeted research. When César Milstein produced the first monoclonal antibodies in 1975, he not only solved this problem, he became one of the fathers of modern medicine.

At the time, researchers were struggling to create targeted pure antibodies that worked against known agents. Certain mouse spleen cells offered hope, but the specific antibodies they produced died too quickly to be useful. By combining these cells with immortal myeloma cells, Milstein and postdoc Georges Köhler produced large amounts of long-lived, identical (monoclonal) antibodies. For his work, Milstein shared the 1984 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine with Köhler and Niels K. Jerne [sources: Nobel Prize].

The late 20th century was marked by the recognition that humans could significantly affect the environment, even Earth itself. But, beyond localized ecological concerns over DDT and the vaguer terror of nuclear winter, by the early 1970s we hadn't much considered the potentially global consequences of industry and chemistry. This was especially true in the case of the chemically inert chains of chlorine and fluorine atoms strapped to a carbon backbone known as chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs.

As a child in Mexico City, Molina admired his aunt, a chemist, and emulated her by converting a spare bathroom into a makeshift chemistry lab. He studied in Mexico and abroad, and made his groundbreaking discovery concerning CFCs during his postdoctoral stint with Rowland at University of California, Irvine. The work earned him the 1995 Nobel Prize in chemistry, an honor he shared with Rowland and Paul J. Crutzen, a pioneer in studying nitrogen oxide effects on ozone destruction [sources: Crutzen; Nobel Prize; Nobel Prize]. He died in 2020.

Our final entry jointly honors two pioneers of space: physicist Franklin Chang-Díaz, the first Hispanic-American astronaut, and engineer Ellen Ochoa, the first female Hispanic-American astronaut (see her picture on the first page).

Ellen Ochoa was born in Los Angeles, Calif., and earned her master's degree and doctorate in electrical engineering from Stanford University. Ochoa researched information processing at Sandia National Laboratories and NASA Ames Research Center and listed as co-inventor on three patents in optics, object recognition and image processing. She became an astronaut in 1991 and flew four shuttle missions. In 2012, she was named JSC director -- the first Hispanic person and second woman to do so [sources: NASA; NASA].
Note: The first person of Latin American origin in space was Cuba's Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez in 1980, as part of a team from the Soviet Union. Méndez was also the first person of African heritage in space.

Hispanic Scientists FAQ

Who is the most famous Hispanic scientist?

Severo Ochoa, who was born and educated in Spain, is the most famous Hispanic scientist. He's also received a Nobel Prize for his research on bacterial enzyme, which has enabled inventions related to synthesized RNA.

Who was the first Hispanic scientist?

Mario J. Molina was the first Mexican scientist who went on to win the Nobel Prize in the field of chemistry. Molina is credited with discovering the chemical impact of CFCs on the environment.

Who is recognized during Hispanic Heritage Month?

Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the contributions of people from five Latin American countries, including El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Honduras.

Who is the most famous scientist?

Albert Einstein and Sir Isaac Newton are known as the greatest scientists of all time. Closely following them are Galileo, Pythagoras, Marie Curie, Charles Darwin and Nicola Tesla.

Who invented the term "hispanic"?

The term "hispanic" was created and adopted by the United States government in the early 1970s during the Nixon administration. This happened after years of debates, protests and lobbying by Mexican-American people who had historically been forced to record themselves as "Spanish-speaking", having "Spanish origin" or "white" on the census.

Author's Note: 10 Hispanic Scientists You Should Know

The thing that struck me most while compiling this list was the devastating effect that political forces can have on science. Sure, politicized scientific issues like global climate change might instigate rancorous debate, but this smoke, though toxic in its own way, is nothing compared to the fire under which teachers, intellectuals and scientists have lived during many authoritarian regimes. For as long as there have been empires, juntas and dictators, there have been ideas that are easier to suppress, mock or beat down than to face in open debate.

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He built President Eisenhower an indoor golf-training machine, analyzed the Zapruder film and searched for an Egyptian pyramid's treasure chamber using cosmic rays. Aren't you dying to meet this wide-ranging scientist?

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By Amy Cowen on September 13, 2023 3:34 PM
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by learning more about some of the many Hispanic and Latinx scientists and engineers who have made important contributions to science history.
Update! This post has been updated for 2023 to include additional scientists and engineers.

Learn More about these Hispanic and Latinx Scientists and Engineers

In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept 15-Oct 15), we highlight a few of the Hispanic and Latinx scientists and engineers who made (and are making) important contributions to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The list below is only a sampling of noted scientists through history and working in STEM fields today.

To encourage students to learn more about these scientists and to explore related science projects and careers for scientists they find interesting, for each scientist, we have included a short biographical summary, links to 1-2 hands-on science projects related to the scientist's area of study, links to relevant science career profiles, and a link to a biography.

Note: Educators can use this career worksheet to guide student exploration and reflection about STEM careers.

1. 3. Helia Bravo Hollis, biologist and botanist

Helia Bravo Hollis was a biologist and botanist whose research focused on the collection and classification of cacti in Mexico. ( Biography)

Learn more about related careers: Plant Scientist

2. 4. Franklin Chang-Díaz, astronaut

Franklin Chang-Díaz is a mechanical engineer and astronaut. As the first Hispanic NASA astronaut, he was involved in seven space shuttle missions, including Columbia and Endeavor. ( Biography)

Interested in mechanical engineering and space science? Learn more with science projects like: Bottle Rocket Blast Off! and Catching Stardust

Learn more about related careers: Mechanical Engineer, Aerospace Engineer

3. 6. France Córdova, astrophysicist

France Córdova was the 14th director of the National Science Foundation. As an astrophysicist, Córdova conducted multi-spectral research on x-ray and gamma ray sources and instruments used in space. She also served as NASA's chief scientist and, later, president of Purdue University. ( Biography)

Interested in astrophysics and space science? Learn more with a science project like: X-Ray Vision: Seeing Into Space

Learn more about related careers: Physicist and Astronomer

9. 26. Evangelina Villegas, chemist

Evangelina Villegas was a chemist whose work centered on cereal grains and the genetic engineering of wheat and maize with improved nutritional content to help fight malnutrition in areas around the world. ( Biography)

Interested in agricultural technology and genetic engineering? Learn more with science projects like: Genetically Modified Foods and A Sweet Sequence: The Cacao Genome

STEM Career Worksheet

To encourage students to learn more about these scientists and to explore related careers in science, technology, engineering, and math, use our free STEM Career Worksheet along with this post.

If you use the "Get Inspired by these Hispanic Scientists and Engineers" post and career worksheet with students, we would love to hear your feedback. Email us at scibuddy@sciencebuddies.org with your comments or story.

Diversity in STEM

To help students see themselves with a future in STEM and to broaden understanding of science history, it is important for students to learn about a diverse range of scientists and engineers. This includes celebrating the stories of women, African American, Asian American Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, and Native American scientists and engineers, scientists with disabilities, and other scientists from around the world.

Note: Individual scientist photos used in this post are in the public domain with exception of:
Albert Baez (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)
Helia Bravo Hollis ( Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)
Nicole Hernandez Hammer ( Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)
Mario Molina ( Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0)
Sabrina Gonzalez Pasterski ( Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)
Lydia Villa-Komaroff ( Amy Poehler's Smart Girls)
Paul A. Sanchez ( John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation)
Evangelina Villegas ( CIMMYT, CC BY-SA 4.0)

You Might Also Enjoy These Related Posts:

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Hispanic Scientists and Engineers - Hispanic Heritage Month | Science Buddies Blog

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Learn more about these Hispanic and Latinx scientists and engineers as part of Hispanic Heritage Month.

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Whether it's through grassroots organizing or artistic self-celebration, Hispanic activists have been working for decades to create better lives for those who share their heritage and culture.

Activists who originate from Spanish-speaking countries have a vast history of fierce activism for their communities, pushing social progress and creating tangible change. But we rarely hear of their contributions, leaving their impact largely uncelebrated -- even if it's widely felt.

During Hispanic Heritage Month(Opens in a new tab) , which runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, it's essential to take time to recognize the pioneers of progress for Hispanic communities.

Though certainly not an exhaustive list, here are 11 influential Hispanic activists -- past and present -- who have been powerful trailblazers for their community and have left an indelible mark on the world.

1. Gloria Anzaldúa

A noted feminist theorist and author, Gloria Anzaldúa paved the way for a more intersectional feminism, especially inclusive of Chicana women. A Mexican-American native of Texas, Anzaldúa was invested in academia and scholarship from a very young age, fighting segregation(Opens in a new tab) throughout her own education and early career as a teacher. In her early activism, she was involved in the farmworkers movement and the Mexican American Youth Organization, though she was vocally critical of the male focus in both.

Along with feminist scholar Cherríe Moraga, Anzaldúa co-edited the highly-influential book This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color, one of the first books to place women of color at the center of the feminist conversation. Perhaps her most famous solo work, Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza, was released a few years later, documenting Anzaldúa's life as a Chicana-Tejana lesbian feminist. Through countless essays, books and poetry, Anzaldúa -- who died in 2004 -- documented Chicana struggle and resilience in a way that still impacts Hispanic women and feminism today.

2. Joan Baez

A Chicana folk singer who uses her music as an avenue for social change, Joan Baez has long been a force for equity and justice in entertainment. Early in her prolific music career, Baez declined to play any segregated venues, only playing black colleges when touring the South.

For more than 50 years, Baez has been a fierce advocate(Opens in a new tab) for a wide range of social justice topics, including nonviolence, civil rights and environmental causes. Her lyrics are a constant nod to this activism, even including notable protest hymns like "We Shall Overcome" on her early albums. Baez has received wide recognition for her activism, often performing to benefit activist causes. Now 75 years old, Baez still uses her music as a form of activism, releasing more than 30 albums in several languages, including Spanish.

3. Cesar Chavez

A noted Mexican-American civil rights activist, Cesar Chavez was instrumental in securing union rights for migrant farm workers during the 1960s. As a young boy, he dropped out of school to help support his family through field work. After a stint in the U.S. Navy, Chavez returned to the fields with determination to better the lives of workers like him. He began organizing, forming the National Farmworkers Association, which is now known as the United Farm Workers of America(Opens in a new tab) , to advocate for improved working conditions and wages.

Chavez was a champion of nonviolent protesting(Opens in a new tab) , using tactics like marching, fasting and boycotting to assert farmworkers' needs. In 1968, Chavez orchestrated a boycott that resulted in a collective bargaining agreement guaranteeing field workers the right to unionize. Chavez was also a champion of broader human rights, including an early supporter of gay rights and an opposer of the Vietnam War.

Chavez died in 1993, but his legacy lives on in many of the labor protections we see today.

4. Berta Cáceres

Berta Cáceres, an award-winning Indigenous environmental activist from Honduras, is best noted for leading a grassroots campaign opposing a proposed dam on the Gualcarque River. The campaign was a success, protecting the river which is considered sacred by the Lencas -- the Indigenous tribe Cáceres belonged to -- while also protecting the tribe's access to water, food and medicine. She was also cofounder of the Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras(Opens in a new tab) , which supports and advocates for the needs of Indigenous communities in Honduras.

As a result of her passionate activism, Cáceres received death threats for years from those who refused to accept Indigenous rights, especially regarding land ownership and the environment. Cáceres died on March 3, 2016, after at least two assailants broke into her home and shot her to death. Her death sparked worldwide outrage, bringing attention to the high rates(Opens in a new tab) of environmentalist deaths in the country and the world.

5. Juan Felipe Herrera

Best known for his success as a prolific poet, Jose Felipe Herrera uses much of his poetry to unapologetically celebrate his Hispanic heritage. Authoring collections like 187 Reasons Mexicanos Can't Cross the Border and Border-Crosser with a Lamborghini Dream, much of Herrera's award-winning poetry powerfully tackles social issues and cultural identity.

Herrera has also written short stories, young adult novels and children's literature. As the son of migrant farmers, Herrera has long been an activist on behalf of migrant communities and Indigenous peoples.

He is currently U.S. poet laureate, a position he's held since 2015.

6. Sylvia Mendez

As the daughter of a Mexican immigrant and a Puerto Rican immigrant, Sylvia Mendez was expected to go to a segregated school for Mexican students as a child. But when Mendez was in the third grade, her parents sued(Opens in a new tab) the all-white Westminster School District after they denied entry to Mendez and her siblings. The landmark case, Mendez v. Westminster, was settled in 1947, successfully desegregating public schools in California.

The case was the first ruling in the U.S. to rule in favor of desegregation, becoming an example for future cases like Brown v. Board of Education. After successfully completing her education, Mendez worked in nursing for 30 years. She's gone on to become a civil rights activist in her own right, speaking publicly on her historic case and advocating for Hispanic student rights in the U.S.

7. Lizzie Velásquez

As a Latina motivational speaker and a rare disease advocate, Lizzie Velásquez has made strides in advocating for people who have both disability identities and Hispanic heritage. Velásquez was born with a rare congenital condition, which has resulted in many health impacts and physical symptoms for the 27-year-old, including the inability to gain weight.

Due to her appearance, Velásquez was relentlessly bullied(Opens in a new tab) as a child. That bullying followed her online, once given the horrific title of "World's Ugliest Woman" in a YouTube video that circulated widely. But the anti-bullying advocate has turned her struggle into triumph, touring the globe as a powerful voice against bullying. A film of her life, titled A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velásquez Story(Opens in a new tab) , has also made waves at film festivals around the world.

8. Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales

Often considered one of the founders of the Chicano Movement(Opens in a new tab) of the 1960s, Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales helped organize Mexican Americans in the fight for equality, including the right to unionize, access to education and voting rights. As an activist, Gonzales founded Crusade for Justice, a civil rights and cultural organization that advocated for the rights of Hispanic Americans.

He is perhaps most widely known for his poem " Yo Soy Joaquín(Opens in a new tab) " -- or its English translation "I Am Joaquín" -- which confronts cultural multiplicity and the oppression of Chicano Americans in the U.S.

Gonzales was also a talented boxer prior to his activist career, winning the Golden Glove championships in his youth. He died in April 2005, but leaves behind a legacy of Chicano empowerment and pride.

9. Raffi Freedman-Gurspan

One of the most vocal advocates for the LGBTQ community in U.S. government, Raffi Freedman-Gurspan has a history of powerful activism, especially for transgender people of color. Freedman-Gurspan, who is a Latina and Indigenous transgender woman, now serves as the primary liaison for LGBTQ issues for the White House -- the first openly trans member of staff at the White House. Throughout her time at the White House, Freedman-Gurspan has advocated(Opens in a new tab) for policy shifts supporting trans inclusion in government and beyond.

She has a long history of activism that precedes her political career. Previously, she served as a policy adviser for the National Center for Transgender Equality(Opens in a new tab) , where she led racial and economic justice initiatives focused on low-income and transgender people of color. A notable name in the policy space for Latinx queer people, Freedman-Gurspan accomplished all of this before turning 30.

10. Sandra Cisneros

A poet, short story writer, novelist and essayist, Sandra Cisneros is often noted one of the most influential Latinas in the literary space today. In her early career, Cisneros taught at-risk youth, mentoring them in creative writing. As she began to devote her career to her own literary work, that activism continued to grow.

Her work(Opens in a new tab) , which explores the lives of the working class, has become a catalyst for conversation around Hispanic culture and identity. Her most notable work, The House on Mango Street, has sold more than 6 million copies worldwide, powerfully depicts coming of age as a Latina navigating poverty and misogyny. Cisneros lives in central Mexico, where she continues her literary work.

11. Sophie Cruz

When she was 5 years old, Sophie Cruz had as much spunk as a seasoned activist, working for change by reaching one of the most powerful leaders: the Pope. As the daughter of undocumented immigrants, Cruz notably gave Pope Francis a letter during his 2015 visit to the White House, outlining her fears of deportation and the devaluing of immigrant contributions around the globe.

The little girl hand-delivered the letter -- along with a hug -- to the Pope, writing(Opens in a new tab) : "I want to tell you that my heart is very sad, because I'm scared that one day ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] is going to deport my parents. I have a right to live with my parents. I have a right to be happy."

Now 6 years old, Cruz has gone on to be a voice for the children of undocumented immigrants around the globe and a vocal supporter(Opens in a new tab) of immigration reform.

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11 influential Hispanic activists you need to know

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Whether it's through grassroots organizing or artistic self-celebration, Hispanic activists have been working for decades to create better lives for those who share their heritage and culture. Activists who originate from Spanish-speaking countries have a vast history of fierce activism for their communities, pushing social progress and creating tangible change.

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Besides César Chávez, in schools in the U.S., we don't learn much about Latino heroes who championed civil rights in the Americas. Who else advocated for meaningful change for their people, beyond Chavez? Who was the Malcolm X of Puerto Rico? Who was the Muhammad Ali of the Chicano movement?

These figures exist. Their stories are just largely erased from the American history narrative. You have to dig a little deeper to find them.

For Hispanic Heritage Month, we asked Latino writers and thinkers to share the one Latino activist they think more people should know about. We told them their choice could be someone who was born here or someone who lived primarily in a Latin American country but influences Latino communities in the United States today.

Here are 15 icons well worth reading up on.

Julia de Burgos

"One of the early pioneers of New York City's Latinx literary scene, Julia de Burgos was an activist and poet who was devoted to uplifting her community and was guided by an unwavering commitment to social justice. Her experience of migration from Puerto Rico to New York City was central to her work, and her poems often celebrated her Afro-Latinx, feminist identity at a time when literary tradition was dominated by masculine conventions. Her poem 'A Julia de Burgos (To Julia de Burgos)' was written in the 1930s to denounce colonial injustices and oppressive norms but can still be an anthem for any young Latinx student finding their voice." ― Stephanie Jimenez, author of "They Could Have Named Her Anything"

"There are so many incredible island writers whose work is not known in the United States, but de Burgos managed to bridge that divide and was an award-winning poet on the island and in New York City, where she was considered a foremother of the Nuyorican literary movement. In her poetry, she was as fearless and unapologetically authentic as she was in life. She published three collections of poetry (one posthumously) and struggled with depression and alcoholism. Tragically, she died penniless on a street in Spanish Harlem but became an icon in Puerto Rican history. In her poem "Yo Misma Fui Mi Ruta," ("I Was My Own Route"), she beautifully captured the struggles facing a biracial, Puerto Rican, woman poet who was born way before her time: 'At each advancing step on my route forward / my back was ripped by the desperate flapping wings / of the old guard.'" ― Ann Dávila Cardinal , author of young adult novels "Five Midnights" and "Category Five"

Emma Tenayuca

"Emma Tenayuca was born in 1916 in San Antonio, where I live. I never heard her name in school, despite her passionate advocacy on behalf of migrants and the working poor preceding the work of Cesar Chavez and Sylvia Rivera. At age 16, at the height of the Great Depression and at a time when Mexican Americans were afforded few rights and even less dignity, Emma was arrested for joining a picket line of workers striking against Finck Cigar Co. By 21, she was known as the most effective organizer for the National Workers' Alliance. She led a strike of 12,000 pecan shellers, most of them women, that forced a necessary pay rise. It's still considered the first significant victory for Mexican American laborers' fight for equal rights.

The next year, when giving a speech at what would ignite San Antonio's largest riot, Emma was effectively chased out of town under threat of lynching. But she continued her social justice work in Houston and San Francisco, returning to San Antonio in her 60s as an educator for migrant children. She said, 'I never thought in terms of fear. I thought in terms of justice.' These words should inspire all of us in the run-up to this election, when the rights of women and marginalized communities are under direct threat ― and after, because we have a long way to go to achieve Emma's vision for fairness and equality for the poorest of us." ― Katie Gutierrez, a writer and editor

Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales

Dave Buresh via Getty Images

Luisa Moreno

Jessica Govea Thorbourne

"Jessica Govea Thorbourne grew up in central California and was a farmworker child. From age 4 to 15 she performed backbreaking work in cotton fields, prune orchards and grape vineyards. After graduating high school, she joined César Chávez and Dolores Huerta's National Farm Workers Association (later renamed the United Farm Workers/UFW) and became a caseworker helping union families. She was convinced that some farmworkers' illnesses were caused by pesticide poisoning and was the first to force the union to start advocating for farmworkers' pesticide protection, which became a hallmark of its platform. She was such a charismatic organizer that the union sent her to Montreal, Canada, at the age of 21 to direct an international grape boycott (Canada was a top market for California table grapes). Her success at drawing millions of Canadians to the cause gave the UFW the critical leverage it needed to finalize labor contracts with top U.S. grape growers.

After her involvement with the UFW ended, Govea Thorbourne moved to the East Coast and taught organizing skills at Rutgers and Cornell universities. Her dedication to training workers of all kinds (from health care workers in the U.S. to coffee-processing workers in El Salvador) continued right up until she died in 2005 at the age of 58 from a long battle with breast cancer. Her persistent voice and international organizing made her truly special and a role model for other women in union movements." ― Lori A. Flores, associate professor of history at Stony Brook University

Roberto Clemente

"As a Puerto Rican, and because the topic of racism has been so prevalent the last several months, baseball great Roberto Clemente comes to mind for this. He's an idol in his native Puerto Rico and one of the first Latin American baseball stars in the United States. Not only was he mocked by the media for his strong accent in those days, but he was an advocate for equality and one of the most generous human beings. Roberto died in a plane filled with food, medicines and other essentials on his way to Nicaragua to help earthquake victims on New Year's Eve, 1972. I remember when he died. I was 15. The whole island was devastated, as was the baseball world. To me, he was more than a baseball player, he was a champion of Latinos in a world that was still pretty green in regards to equality and inclusion. He was really a true hero and a role model for children all over the world." ― Maritere R. Bellas, author and the host of the Mamás411 podcast

Francisco P. Ramirez

"I am a writer, my words are my activism. Growing up, I didn't read many books or news articles written by Latinos or that centered our stories, our struggle, our frustrations or our triumphs. Then I came across Francisco P. Ramirez, who in 1855 at the age of 17 owned and published his own newspaper, El Clamor Público (The Public Outcry). Imagine, 165 years ago, there was a Latino using his words as his power, to bring attention to issues affecting Mexican Americans in California. He pushed against the status quo and critically examined what freedom meant in America. In July 1855, he wrote an editorial where he questioned liberty in the United States. He called it 'truly curious' that some people had no liberty at all. 'It is denied by the courts,' he wrote. 'But there is the great liberty of any white man to buy a human being in order to arbitrarily hand him or burn him alive,' he strongly stated. He called slavery the 'vilest despotism.'

He knew in 1856 what many of us still don't: 'We have enough votes among ourselves to control the election in this country and we have the power to elect candidates who will work for our interest,' he wrote. He was a writer, publisher, activist. He knew the power of the Latino vote. He knew we could demand a different system, one that recognized our strength and contributions." ― Julissa Arce, writer and immigrant rights advocate

Sylvia Rivera

"Sylvia Rivera is a Puerto Rican and Venezuelan trans woman who has become celebrated for her role in the Stonewall Riots in 1969, which helped launch trans and queer liberation movements for decades to come. She was a sex worker, she was houseless, she was a survivor, she was booed while advocating for incarcerated queers at the Christopher Street Liberation Day Rally in 1973. Her life was not easy. She fought tirelessly for the most marginalized people in the trans and queer community. Alongside her friend and activist, Marsha P Johnson, they founded STAR in order to house trans youth and sex workers. When thinking about Sylvia Rivera, I often think about her quote, 'We always felt that the police were the real enemy.' I think Sylvia's legacy of fighting against police violence is an especially important legacy to follow today. Her life story demands that we confront police violence as a central component of fighting for trans and queer liberation. For me, Sylvia Rivera is a powerful inspiration for the abolitionist imagination." ― Christopher Soto, poet and lecturer at the University of California, Los Angeles

Bianca Jagger

"The image of Bianca Jagger astride a white horse -- razor-sharp cheekbones and off-the-shoulder neckline daring you to question her authority -- inside a packed Studio 54 is seared into the cultural consciousness. Whether she rode the horse into the club or whether she simply mounted it for a photo-op is irrelevant, as are many of the glamorous things for which she is best known. Warhol parties and Rolling Stones affiliations aside, the Nicaraguan Blanca Pérez-Mora Macías has made an even bigger (if less flashy) impact on the world stage as a longtime human rights advocate.

Raised by a struggling single mother under the country's Somoza dictatorship, Jagger parlayed her Paris Institute of Political Studies scholarship and glamorous social capital into a multifaceted career of intersectional activism. She has chased after Honduran death squads, opposed U.S. intervention in Central America, championed women's rights and education, campaigned for more sustainable environmental practices and proposed abolishing death penalties around the world. It hasn't been just issue-of-the-week dilettantism, either, and if it sounds like a lot, well, it is. But 50 years of goodwill later, she has the humanitarian awards (and inimitable style) to prove it." ― Juan A. Ramirez, writer and critic

Maria Irene Fornes

"Pulitzer Prize winner Paula Vogel says, 'In the work of every American playwright at the end of the 20th century, there are only two stages: before she has read Maria Irene Fornes and after.' For me, the stages are before and after I met Fornes. In my first-ever playwriting class at age 20, she told me that I could be a playwright like her, which I had never imagined. I pursued that dream, only to find that theater classes were almost entirely focused on her white male peers (like Tennessee Williams, Edward Albee and Sam Shepard). Despite having won numerous awards for her 40 plays, Fornes was never on the syllabus.

Antonia Navarro Huezo

"Antonia Navarro Hueza at age 19 became the first woman to graduate from a Ph.D. program in Central America and El Salvador in 1886. She came from a family of intellects; as she defended her thesis on the illusions of the harvest moon, she was recognized worldwide for her work. Although she was brilliant, she was restricted from practicing her profession or teaching at any university. She has influenced me by my work teaching financial literacy and my dream to earn my Ph.D.

With the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, I am reminded what sacrifices our ancestors have made, especially women like Antonia. We must see positive representation of what leaders look like, sometimes risking their lives to educate and inspire the rest of the world." ― Natalie Torres-Haddad, author and host of the podcast "Financially Savvy in 20 Minutes"

Pedro Albizu Campos

"When I was growing up, there were only two historical figures prominently displayed on the living room wall of my family's home: A framed portrait of Jesus and one of Pedro Albizu Campos. If you're Puerto Rican, you pretty much grew up knowing who Pedro 'El Maestro' Albizu Campos was and why he was so important to the island's history. Not only was Campos the first Puerto Rican in 1913 to attend and eventually graduate from Harvard Law School and a second lieutenant in the Army during World War I, he became the most outspoken leading activist in the Puerto Rican independence movement and the president of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. A powerful orator, he led strikes against monopolies taking over the island and spoke passionately against the United States' colonial control. He was arrested multiple times for his activism, including being tortured with radiation in his last stint in jail. He died on April 21, 1965.

If I had to equate who Pedro Albizu Campos was, he was Puerto Rico's Nelson Mandela and Malcolm X. Most Puerto Rican history is barely taught in schools, with Campos never getting a mention. A good start in learning more about Campos and Puerto Rico is by reading Nelson Denis's book 'War Against All Puerto Ricans' and watching Democracy Now's short video that ran on the 50th anniversary of Campos's death. ― Lilliam Rivera, author of "Never Look Back"

Carlos Russell

Gloria Anzaldúa

″'To survive the Borderlands / you must live sin fronteras / be a crossroads.' The first time I read Gloria Anzaldúa's poem 'To Live in the Borderlands,' I was a 21-year-old man, a new father, holding my baby at home as my partner worked the morning shift. Mixed-race and unsure of so many things I wanted to be or do, I felt thwarted by the rigidity of the world: college bureaucracies and cultural traditions and familial expectations. Gloria Anzaldúa's work, especially Borderlands/La Frontera, offered a way out. Her work pioneered the genre-blending, creative nonfiction that is so popular in texts today; it embraced multilingualism, resisted dualities, called for new men and new women, new genders. The book demanded a new way of thinking about spirituality, about colonialism, about identity and, more importantly, about the intersectionality of it all.

Decades later, as a community college teacher, I continually return to her work with my students, offering selections like 'How to Tame a Wild Tongue' because the writing and self-reflection she inspires in students is so revealing of the necessity of her work at this time: it's a text students can see their complicated lives and experiences in, that honors all the facets." ― Tomas Moniz, teacher and author of "Big Familia: A Novel"

The Mirabal sisters

" The Mirabal sisters ― Minerva, Patria and María Teresa ― are three revolutionary mothers and wives who sought to overthrow the repressive dictatorship of Leonidas Trujillo, one of the most violent dictators in the history of the Dominican Republic. Their fearless underground movement challenged his authority and shed light on human rights violations during his regime. In 1960, they sacrificed their lives in the name of democracy, and through their struggles to regain civil liberties for their community they re-envisioned the role of women in society, education and politics.

Minerva was a brilliant leader who studied the work of Che Guevara and Fidel Castro in the Cuban Revolution. She was the first woman in the Dominican Republic to study law. However, Trujillo refused to confer her degree after she denied his sexual advances. Despite being jailed, having their property seized and being oppressed by patriarchal structures, they continued their fight for social justice. Their brutal murder at the hands of Trujillos' henchmen on Nov. 25, 1960, led to the creation of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The sisters' death paved the way for Trujillo's assassination a few months later.

Their story is a symbol of the power of a woman's voice in democracies across the world. Stories of Latinx revolutionaries are critical now more than ever as we need youth who are willing to challenge laws and policies for the betterment of society and are invested in civic responsibility. Latinx history is transnational and just, as its influence transcends borders it should also transcend American history books." ― Natalie Muñoz, a public speaker and doctoral student in social work at Howard University

Related...

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Latinx Heritage Month 2020 Heroes National Hispanic Heritage Month Roberto Clemente Pedro Albizu Campos

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15 Latino Activists You Should Know And Read About

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Besides César Chávez, in schools in the U.S., we don't learn much about Latino heroes who championed civil rights in the Americas. Who else advocated for meaningful change for their people, beyond Chavez? Who was the Malcolm X of Puerto Rico? Who was the Muhammad Ali of the Chicano movement?

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10 Young Latinx Activists You Should Know

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They're standing up for immigrants, farmworkers, the environment, and more.

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September 15th marks the start of Hispanic Heritage Month in the U.S., an initiative launched to celebrate the many contributions Hispanic and Latinx people have made in corporate, creative, cultural, and academic sectors. In honour of it, we're celebrating individuals who have contributed to science, technology, engineering, and math.

For the latest news, visit the Hispanic Heritage Month official website and follow the #HispanicHeritageMonth hashtag on Twitter.

We'll continue to update this list through the month.

LUIZ WALTER ALVAREZ

Luis Walter Alvarez (June 13, 1911 - September 1, 1988) was an American experimental physicist, inventor, professor, and the recipient of the 1968 Nobel Prize in Physics for the development of the hydrogen bubble chamber.

In the 1940s, Dr. Alvarex worked in the MIT Radiation Laboratory, where he helped develop World War II radar projects, including adding improvements to identification friend or foe (IFF) radars, which are now called transponders.

He also developed a theory proposing non-avian dinosaurs were wiped out by an asteroid - one of the most widely-accepted theories to date.

SEVERO OCHOA

Dr. Ochoa (Sept. 24, 1905 - Nov. 1, 1993) was a Spanish-American biochemist and molecular biologist. In 1959 Dr. Ochoa, along with American biochemist Arthur Kronberg, won the 1959 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the 1955 discovery of the enzyme polynucleotide phosphorylase, also referred to as PNPase, an enzyme that enables the synthesis of Ribonucleic acid (RNA).

RNA is a molecule that assists with the coding, decoding, regulation, and expression of genes.

The discovery of PNPase has allowed scientists to re-create processes in labs to gain a better understanding of cell function.

HELEN RODRIGUEZ-TRIAS

Helen Rodríguez -Trías (July 7, 1929 - December 27, 2001) was a Puerto Rican pediatrician, educator and activist.

A mother of four, Dr. Rodríguez-Trías fought for abortion rights and to end forced sterilization. She worked tirelessly to provide neonatal care to low-income families and to minority women in the U.S., Central and South America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

Dr. Rodríguez-Trías was a founding member of the Women's Caucus of the American Public Health Association, a co-founder of the Committee to End Sterilization Abuse and, in 1993, the first Latina to be elected the president of the American Health Association.

ELLEN OCHOA

Dr. Ochoa is a NASA astronaut and the 11th director - and first Hispanic director - of the Johnson Space Center.

She was the first Hispanic woman to go to space and has completed four space missions, logging nearly 1,000 hours in orbit.

Dr. Ochoa holds a bachelor's degree in physics from San Diego State University, and a master's degree and a doctorate in electrical engineering from Stanford University.

She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and chairs the Nomination Evaluation Committee for the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.

César Milstein

Biochemist César Milstein's 1975 study on monoclonal antibodies revolutionized the diagnosis and treatment of disease and earned him a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1984. As a direct result of Milstein's research, antibodies are now widely used in science and medicine.

In 1993, Milstien was awarded the Diamond Konex Award, a prestigious honour in his native country Argentina.

SARAH STEWART

Sarah Stewart was a Mexican-American researcher who discovered a link between viruses and cancer, paving the way for the development of vaccines that guard against certain types of the disease. At the time of her discovery, the medical community dismissed the theory that cancer-causing viruses can spread from animal to animal.

In 1949, Stewart was the first woman to earn a MD from Georgetown University School of Medicine.

CARLOS JUAN FINLAY

Carlos Juan Finlay was a Cuban epidemiologist who, in 1881, theorized that mosquitoes are a carrier of yellow fever. When he first presented his findings at Havana's Academy of Science, he was ridiculed.

Finlay's hypothesis was not widely accepted until 20 years later.

He was nominated seven times for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine but never won.

In 1908, Finlay received the National Order of the Legion of Honour of France.

DEBORAH BEREBICHEZ

Deborah Berebichez is a physicist, TV host, and educator.

She was the first Mexican woman to earn a Ph.D. in physics from Stanford University.

"When people hear what I do, they - especially teenage girls - feel intimidated," Berebichez told APS Physics.

"But when they hear my whole story, their tune changes. I tell them that I know what it is like to not understand something. I was not the kind of person where my comprehension of science came naturally. But I did it. And if I can do it, anyone can do it."

Berebichez uses her platform to educate the public about STEM fields. She is currently a co-host on Discovery Channel's Outrageous Acts of Science.

JOSÉ CELSO BARBOSA

José Celso Barbosa (July 27, 1857 - September 21, 1921) was a Puerto Rican physician, professor and politician.

In 1875, he was one of the first Afro-Puerto Ricans to graduate from the Seminario Conciliar de San Ildefonso. Two years later, he applied to the College of Physicians and Surgeons, now Columbia University Medical School, and was rejected due to racism.

He then attended the University of Michigan, becoming the insitiution's first Puerto Rican student, graduating with a medical degree and acting as class valedictorian in 1880. He was the first Puerto Rican, and first Afro Latino, to earn a medical degree in the continental U.S.

As a doctor, he served poor and Black communities in Puerto Rico. He introduced the concept of employers paying a fee for the healthcare needs of their employees - i.e., an early health insurance system.

YNÉZ MEXÍA

Mexía (May 24, 1870 - July 12, 1938) was a Mexican-American botanist known for her 150,000-strong collection of novel plant specimens from areas of Mexico, Peru, and Colombia, leading to the discovery of 500 new species. She braved earthquakes and dangerous terrain to advance our understanding of botany. This becomes more impressive when one considers her career only spanned 13 years.

Curators are still working to catalogue her extensive collection. So far, at least 50 new species have been named after her.

Mexía suffered prejudice in the field for several reasons. For starters, she was a woman in a male-dominated field, and a person of Mexican descent in a largely-white area of study. Mexia also began her career later in life, in her early fifties - making her a victim of ageism as well.

CARLOS I. NORIEGA

Carlos Noriega is a Peruvian-American NASA employee, a former NASA astronaut and a retired U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant colonel. He holds two M.Sc. degrees, one in computer science and one in space systems operations, both from the Naval Postgraduate School.

He has logged over 461 hours in space, including over 19 extravehicular activity hours in three space walks.

ANABELLA VILLALOBOS

Dr. Villalobos is a Panamanian medicinal chemist and the Senior Vice President of Biotherapeutic & Medicinal Sciences at Biogen.

She received her BS in chemistry from the University of Panama. In 1987, she earned her Ph.D. at the University of Kansas. She was a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellow at Yale University.

ALBERTO PEDRO CALDERÓN

Dr. Calderón was born in Mendoza, Argentina.

He was an influential mathematician whose work had a major impact on practical applications like signal processing, geophysics, and tomography.

He obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago in 1950 under the supervision of Antoni Zygmund, a Polish mathematician and highly-regarded analyst. Their collaboration continued for thirty years.

LUIS E. MIRAMONTES

Luis Miramontes was a Mexican chemist known as the co-inventor of the progestin norethisterone, which was used in one of the first oral contraceptives.

Miramontes did not invent the birth control pill, but he did discover the chemical compound that produced it. For that reason, he is sometimes referred to as the ' father of the pill.'

He received numerous awards for his work, including Mexico's national prize in chemistry in 1986. In 2011, hewas named one of the world's most influential chemical engineers of all time by the IChemE (Institution of Chemical Engineers).

His scientific contributions include nearly 40 national and international patents in areas including organic chemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry, petrochemistry, and atmospheric chemistry.

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In honour of Hispanic Heritage Month, here's an evolving list of influential Hispanic and Latinx scientists - We Rep STEM

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September 15th marks the start of Hispanic Heritage Month in the U.S., an initiative launched to celebrate the many contributions Hispanic and Latinx people have made in corporate, creative, cultural, and academic sectors. In honour of it, we're celebrating individuals who have contributed to science, technology, engineering, and math.

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Who Is Sylvia Mendez? - Sylvia Mendez School

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In 2018, the Berkeley Unified School District voted unanimously to accept the recommendation of the Naming Advisory Committe and change the name of our school from LeConte Elementary to Sylvia Mendez Elementary School. However, many do not know the story of Sylvia Mendez, her family, and all of those who fought to end segregation in education in California.

Sylvia Mendez was born in Santa Ana, California in 1936. As a young child, Ms. Mendez was the child at the center of the landmark 1947 case, Mendez vs. Westminster, in which her parents and neighbors fought against segregated education for children of Mexican descent in southern California, a case that banned segregation in California public schools and paved the way for the national ban on segregated schools in Brown vs. Board of Education seven years later.

After retiring from a career as a pediatric nurse, Ms. Mendez devoted her life to telling the story of her family and the legacy of the case, and in 2011 she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama for her advocacy for educational opportunity for "children of all backgrounds and all walks of life."

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Who Is Sylvia Mendez? - Sylvia Mendez School

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In 2018, the Berkeley Unified School District voted unanimously to accept the recommendation of the Naming Advisory Committe and change the name of our school from LeConte Elementary to Sylvia Mendez Elementary School. However, many do not know the story of Sylvia Mendez, her family, and all of those who fought to end segregation in education in California.