“Before I came to NASA, I worked for the Department of Labor.
“That was when I began something that I had always wanted to do since I was 18 years old in college and went to school for political science — to serve my country at a national level. I really wanted to make a national impact.
“I’m a grandson of a migrant farm worker. His name was Manuel Morales, and he came across to this great country in 1942 under a program called the Bracero program. The Bracero program was set up by the United States during World War II, when male service members went to go defend this country against tyranny, and in doing so, they didn’t have anybody to pick the tomatoes and the strawberries. So, they opened the borders. My grandfather came to this country under that program and just never left. He planted the seed in a place called Smeltertown, Texas, which is El Paso, Texas now. And he met my grandmother and they married soon hereafter.
“I’m a third generation Morales. When I walked into those doors [at my new job], understanding my ancestry, and then also understanding, I, myself, who was born in Mexico, to be able to work in a place that I’ve always dreamed about — that was quite the achievement for me.”
—Esteban Morales, Agency Recruitment Lead for the Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer, NASA Headquarters
Image Credit: NASA / Joel Kowsky
Interviewer: NASA / Thalia Patrinos