Guillermo Gonzalez, the avionics lead at the Launch Abort System office at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, puts his passion for space into mentoring the next generation. His efforts to encourage the younger generation to pursue STEM careers contributed to his being named a 2016 Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Corporation Luminary Honoree from the nonprofit group Great Minds in STEM.
“It doesn’t do you any good to have all these gifts and talents and keep them in your pocket,” says Gonzalez. “If you don’t share with others, you haven’t accomplished anything.”
According to Great Minds, the 2016 class of honorees is comprised of industry and government leaders who are leading, collaborating and initiating key programs and research, and were selected for accomplishments that contribute to their organization’s technical prowess. Part of the award-selection process was a combination of outreach activities, career accomplishments and promoting math and science to youth.
Gonzalez helped found the Southeast Virginia Professional chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, and served as the outreach chair. In his role, he went to area schools to talk to students about the importance of math and science. He stresses the importance of nurturing a child’s ambitions young. His passion began as an 11-year-old, when he saw the broadcast of Neil Armstrong walking on the moon.
That event led Gonzalez to ask his father about NASA, who told him to talk to his cousin who was studying engineering in college.
“You’d be surprised the impact that you can have just by planting that little seed at an early age,” he said.
That experience helped shape Gonzalez’s mindset of sharing your gifts and working hard.
Image Credit: NASA/David C. Bowman