SHPE - Winter 2008 - (Page 52) LOCAL HERO T By Leilani Rangel primary goal is to open their eyes and get them excited about the opportunities made possible through a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. For him, the force of such excitement generated the inner strength to overcome the obstacle that lay before him. For example, after high school, he wanted to join the Air Force and become a fighter jet pilot so as to be eligible for the astronaut program. Those hopes came to an abrupt end because he wasn’t a U.S. citizen. Looking for an alternate route, Coronel enrolled as an electrical engineering student at CSULB even though it meant paying foreign student tuition which was 10 times higher than normal tuition. To put himself through school while living on his own and continuing to support his family in Mexico, Coronel held down two afterschool jobs, one as a math/science tutor every afternoon and another as a parts department manager until midnight. Although he had little time to study, he maintained good grades and graduated in four years. During his senior year, he even helped found the university’s Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) chapter, which continues to this day. When he graduated in 1978, Coronel had permission to work in the United States for only one year; but, unless a company sponsored his residency, he would have to return to Mexico. Under the direction of a schoolmate’s father, he joined a small firm as an environmental engineer, which were in short supply at the time, and soon secured legal residency. Upon receiving his green card, he was asked to join TRW (later incorporated into Northrop Grumman). “It was part of my dream come true,” Coronel said, “and since I couldn’t be an astronaut, maybe I could still get to work with astronauts.” That passion, coupled with his natural curiosity as to how things worked, became a springboard into specializing in systems engineering. His community involvement began in 1982 with career presentations at local schools. The children’s excitement fed his desire to continue nurturing their interest in STEM. Among the teachers who began requesting Coronel’s presentation year after year was Cora Beteta, an eighth grade language arts teacher at Lennox Middle SHPE R Winter 2008 Northrop Grumman’s Ramón Coronel A Beautiful World of Science Lies Beyond Barriers F or 15-year-old Ramón Coronel, an international border was not an obstacle that could hold him back. Although he lacked legal documentation, family contacts and English language skills, Coronel was elevated by a powerful vision for his future: to be like one of the astronauts who walked on the moon. That desire motivated him to master English after only one year in ESL classes and graduate from San Pedro High School in California with honors, seventh in a class of more than 1,200 seniors. While turbulent challenges still lay ahead, he was determined to overcome any obstacle, pursue every opportunity and achieve his highest potential. He also sought means to financially support his mother as well as the four older sisters and three younger brothers he left behind in Sonora, Mexico. Today, Coronel has a distinguished 33-year career with Northrop Grumman Corporation in Redondo Beach, California. He recently graduated from the company’s elite two-year Six Sigma Black Belt Training Program which prepared him to lead teams that drive process change and organizational excellence across the company with a view to improving the procedures for the complete satellite product development process. In his previous position as a mission systems engineer, Coronel helped develop innovative architectural and technical solutions to key issues facing national security. In addition to a master’s degree in electrical engineering from California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), he also holds 10 U.S. patents and has 12 foreign patents pending. The very principles that propelled Coronel’s success frame a message he shares with students in the greater Los Angeles community: “Education is the key to the future; math and science are the foundation for every career; and there is always a way around obstacles.” Since 1982, that message has reached an estimated 50,000 students, many of whom live in poor, gang-infested areas with few role models and high school dropout rates as high as 65 percent. In essence, Coronel sees his younger self reflected in the boys and girls he mentors. Ramón Coronel “All they see in their communities are people who are working with their bodies and not with their minds,” he said. “They don’t have exposure to the possibilities available when you exercise your mind. They also have the obstacle of money. It’s hard to think about going to school and paying for tuition when they don’t have enough to pay for food, housing or transportation. What’s really important is for them not to give up and realize that just as I was able to overcome my obstacles, so can they.” As he mentors these students, his 52
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