Yes, Ellen Ochoa is a hero because in the story it says, Ellen Ochoa was the first hispanic woman to travel into space. Also in the story it says, Ellen was a top student and did well in all of her classes. In addition the author also said, Ellen also loved math very much and didn't let anybody hinder her.This shows that Ellen is a hardworker and wants to encourage kids to do better in school. This reminds me of when people were trying to hinder me just like in the story. Ellen didn't let anybody hinder her from learning.