Astronaut headlines Modesto education meeting

NASA astronaut Jose Hernández is headlining the 26th annual Hispanic Education Conference on March 27.

One of four children from a family of migrant farmworkers from Mexico, Hernández was born in French Camp, graduated from Franklin High School in Stockton and enrolled at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, where he earned a degree in electrical engineering in 1984.

While in orbit in 2009, he was the first person to use Spanish on Twitter.

Registration for the conference is free and open to all high school-age youth.

The main goals of the conference are to encourage local high school youth to choose a career path, focus on a goal and expose them to the multitude of choices available to them upon completing high school.

The conference offers participants an opportunity to see people from diverse occupations.

The event runs from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the auditorium of Modesto Junior College's Performing and Media Arts Center on the east campus, 435 College Ave., Modesto.

A registration form is available online at www.mjc.edu/hec.

For additional information, call Claudia Ramirez at 575-6698.