Union dedicated its first phase of Ellen Ochoa Elementary School on Monday and welcomed its namesake to Tulsa for the ceremony.
Dr. Ellen Ochoa, the current director of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, was the world’s first Latina astronaut. Union’s Ellen Ochoa Elementary is the sixth school in the U.S. named for her.
"This is a beautiful school. I really like the vision that the Union Public Schools have for this, being partners with the community," Ochoa said. "And, of course, what it really takes is a dedicated staff and teachers, and you can just see that the school has that as well."
Ochoa gave students the play-by-play on a couple videos of her space missions and spent the day touring classrooms and answering students’ questions. She told students education is important throughout life.
"And if you study and work hard in school, there's so many exciting things that can be available to you, so I just hope they will dream big and go after their dreams," Ochoa said.
Ochoa said students should set their sights high, no matter what they want to be when they grow up.
"To me, it's not about whether you're going to go into space or not. It's about having a dream and a goal and realizing, step by step, every day you can take a little step toward your goal," Ochoa said.
Ellen Ochoa Elementary is in a high-growth area of east Tulsa, and all its students come from within 1 square mile. The $15 million first phase accommodates 500 students.
Second and third phases will boost capacity to 1,000, and the school will serve the entire community when its medical, dental and behavioral health clinic opens in 2019.
