Before José Hernández traveled to the International Space Station, his path ran through California farm fields and a Stockton engineering classroom. That connection gives his return to University of the Pacific a meaning that reaches well beyond the usual celebrity speaking appearance.
The former NASA astronaut and 1984 Pacific graduate will join the university’s Presidential Speaker Series on Thursday, November 5, from 7 to 8 p.m. in Faye Spanos Concert Hall. The conversation is free and open to the public, with registration available through Pacific.
Hernández will speak with Scott Biedermann, Pacific’s vice president for development and alumni relations, about achieving success through perseverance. For Stockton students weighing their own futures, the evening offers a chance to hear from someone whose ambitions took shape in a community they recognize.
A journey with Stockton roots
NASA identifies French Camp as Hernández’s birthplace and Stockton as the place he considers his hometown. He grew up in a migrant farming family from Mexico, working alongside family members as they followed agricultural work through California. He did not learn English until he was 12.
Those details matter because they place the familiar image of an astronaut in a different frame. His story begins with work, movement between communities and the challenge of navigating an education while learning another language. For families who know those experiences, a career in space can feel a little less distant when its starting point is close to home.
Hernández earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at Pacific in 1984, followed by a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1986. His route to NASA was built through technical study and engineering work before it led to astronaut training.
Perseverance beyond the slogan
Pacific reports that NASA rejected Hernández 11 times before accepting him into its astronaut program. He was selected for the agency’s 2004 astronaut class and flew aboard Space Shuttle Discovery on the STS-128 mission to the International Space Station in 2009.
That sequence gives the evening’s theme substance. Perseverance, in this case, involved repeated applications and years of preparation. The eventual flight is the most visible milestone, but the longer process is what makes the story useful to students facing an unfamiliar subject, a difficult application or an ambition that seems larger than their current circumstances.
The November program is a conversation rather than a scheduled science workshop. Pacific’s announcement centers on Hernández’s experience and the role of determination in achieving goals. Families should use the university’s event listing for registration and any updates to attendance arrangements.
A homecoming that can start new conversations
For local educators and parents, the appearance provides a natural starting point for talking about engineering, college and the range of careers connected to space exploration. An astronaut’s flight depends on many kinds of expertise. Hernández’s electrical engineering education offers one concrete example of how classroom study can connect to work far beyond the classroom.
His return also brings an international accomplishment back to a familiar local setting. Pacific is both the host of the evening and part of the educational path that preceded his NASA career. Attendees will be hearing the story at an institution where one of its chapters was written.
Event Details
- Event: Presidential Speaker Series: José Hernández
- Date: Thursday, November 5, 2026
- Time: 7 to 8 p.m. Pacific Time
- Location: Faye Spanos Concert Hall, University of the Pacific, 3601 Pacific Avenue, Stockton, CA 95211
- Admission: Free and open to the public. Register through Pacific’s official event page.
- More Information: Official event details and registration
For Stockton, Hernández’s homecoming is a reminder that an extraordinary journey can begin in familiar places. The value of hearing it here lies in the questions it may leave with the next generation: what they want to pursue, what preparation it will take and how they might keep going when the first answer is no.