I think Ellen Ochoa is a hero because she is helping kids. In the story Ellen Ochoa's mother told  Ellen Ochoa to reach for the stars. At first she did not know that was but she did reach for the stars. 
This shows that  the author is happy because she did not let any one hinder her. When they said she was not accepted, she was disappointed but she try harder. Ellen said she also loved to fly too. When she worked hard she was just one of 22 women to become an astronaut.
This reminds me of when I was watching a t.v show and it was about astronauts and  I thought about Ellen Ochoa.