Yanidsi Velez-Bonet, senior director of Florida Programs and Policy for the Hispanic Federation, speaks to workers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 10, 2019. The event was hosted by the center’s Hispanic Heritage Outreach and Leadership Alliance (HOLA) employee resource group for Hispanic Heritage Month. This year’s theme is “Hispanic Americans: A History of Serving our Nation.” HOLA’s initiatives include education and recruitment, professional networking and development, and community outreach and media support.

Yanidsi Velez-Bonet, senior director of Florida Programs and Policy for the Hispanic Federation, speaks to workers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 10, 2019. The event was hosted by the center’s Hispanic Heritage Outreach and Leadership Alliance (HOLA) employee resource group for Hispanic Heritage Month. This year’s theme is “Hispanic Americans: A History of Serving our Nation.” HOLA’s initiatives include education and recruitment, professional networking and development, and community outreach and media support.

Yanidsi Velez-Bonet, senior director of Florida Programs and Policy for the Hispanic Federation, speaks to workers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 10, 2019. The event was hosted by the center’s Hispanic Heritage Outreach and Leadership Alliance (HOLA) employee resource group for Hispanic Heritage Month. This year’s theme is “Hispanic Americans: A History of Serving our Nation.” HOLA’s initiatives include education and recruitment, professional networking and development, and community outreach and media support.

Yanidsi Velez-Bonet, senior director of Florida Programs and Policy for the Hispanic Federation, speaks to workers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 10, 2019 and takes questions from workers after her presentation. The event was hosted by the center’s Hispanic Heritage Outreach and Leadership Alliance (HOLA) employee resource group for Hispanic Heritage Month. This year’s theme is “Hispanic Americans: A History of Serving our Nation.” HOLA’s initiatives include education and recruitment, professional networking and development, and community outreach and media support.

Information from the Hispanic Federation is on display in the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building Mission Briefing Room at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, during a Hispanic Heritage Month presentation on Oct. 10, 2019. Yanidsi Velez-Bonet, senior director of Florida Programs and Policy for the Hispanic Federation is this year’s guest speaker. The event, hosted by the center’s Hispanic Heritage Outreach and Leadership Alliance (HOLA) employee resource group, focused on the theme “Hispanic Americans: A History of Serving our Nation.” HOLA’s initiatives include education and recruitment, professional networking and development, and community outreach and media support.

Information from the Hispanic Federation is on display in the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building Mission Briefing Room at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, during a Hispanic Heritage Month presentation on Oct. 10, 2019. Yanidsi Velez-Bonet, senior director of Florida Programs and Policy for the Hispanic Federation is this year’s guest speaker. The event was hosted by the center’s Hispanic Heritage Outreach and Leadership Alliance (HOLA) employee resource group. This year’s theme is “Hispanic Americans: A History of Serving our Nation.” HOLA’s initiatives include education and recruitment, professional networking and development, and community outreach and media support.

Kennedy Space Center workers mingle before a Hispanic Heritage Month presentation in the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building Mission Briefing Room on Oct. 10, 2019. Yanidsi Velez-Bonet, senior director of Florida Programs and Policy for the Hispanic Federation was this year’s guest speaker. The event was hosted by the center’s Hispanic Heritage Outreach and Leadership Alliance (HOLA) employee resource group. This year’s theme is “Hispanic Americans: A History of Serving our Nation.” HOLA’s initiatives include education and recruitment, professional networking and development, and community outreach and media support.

NASA Engineer Edsel Sanchez welcomes Kennedy Space Center workers to a Hispanic Heritage Month presentation in the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building Mission Briefing Room on Oct. 10, 2019. Yanidsi Velez-Bonet, senior director of Florida Programs and Policy for the Hispanic Federation was this year’s guest speaker. The event was hosted by the center’s Hispanic Heritage Outreach and Leadership Alliance (HOLA) employee resource group. This year’s theme is “Hispanic Americans: A History of Serving our Nation.” HOLA’s initiatives include education and recruitment, professional networking and development, and community outreach and media support.

NASA Kennedy Space Center workers enjoy Hispanic food at KARS Park II during an event to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month on Oct. 17, 2019. The event was hosted by the center’s Hispanic Outreach and Leadership Alliance (HOLA) employee resource group for Hispanic Heritage Month. This year’s theme is “Hispanic Americans: A History of Serving our Nation.” HOLA’s initiatives include education and recruitment, professional networking and development, and community outreach and media support.

NASA Kennedy Space Center workers enjoy Hispanic food at KARS Park II during an event to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month on Oct. 17, 2019. The event was hosted by the center’s Hispanic Outreach and Leadership Alliance (HOLA) employee resource group for Hispanic Heritage Month. This year’s theme is “Hispanic Americans: A History of Serving our Nation.” HOLA’s initiatives include education and recruitment, professional networking and development, and community outreach and media support.

NASA Kennedy Space Center workers gather at KARS Park II to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month on Oct. 17, 2019. The event was hosted by the center’s Hispanic Outreach and Leadership Alliance (HOLA) employee resource group for Hispanic Heritage Month. This year’s theme is “Hispanic Americans: A History of Serving our Nation.” HOLA’s initiatives include education and recruitment, professional networking and development, and community outreach and media support.

NASA Kennedy Space Center workers gather at KARS Park II to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month on Oct. 17, 2019. The event was hosted by the center’s Hispanic Outreach and Leadership Alliance (HOLA) employee resource group for Hispanic Heritage Month. This year’s theme is “Hispanic Americans: A History of Serving our Nation.” HOLA’s initiatives include education and recruitment, professional networking and development, and community outreach and media support.

A NASA Kennedy Space Center workers enjoys a treat during a gathering at KARS Park II to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month on Oct. 17, 2019. The event was hosted by the center’s Hispanic Outreach and Leadership Alliance (HOLA) employee resource group for Hispanic Heritage Month. This year’s theme is “Hispanic Americans: A History of Serving our Nation.” HOLA’s initiatives include education and recruitment, professional networking and development, and community outreach and media support.

“Since I was 13, I’ve had maybe two or three jobs. Right now, I feel like I have four jobs. I have the NASA job, the Navy job. I’m also the chair for the Hispanic Outreach and Leadership Alliance, and I’m a new dad. It’s a lot. They say that the more you do, the more you can do. That’s a motto we have in the military. It’s true. The more you do, the more you can do, and unless you try to do something, you won’t know if you can. I have this philosophy in life that you’re only ever going to do things related to four categories: fitness and health, social and family time, your career, or faith and spirituality. You’re never, ever going to get those things perfectly in balance because nobody’s perfect. But I think the goal is to try to maintain balance. You’re going to have periods in your life where you may have a lot of work assignments and you’re spending a lot of time on the career side of things, but you need to also remember that you owe some time to your family and your friends. Are you taking time off for your health? Recognize when you’re a little bit off-balanced on one end. Success is in the journey of trying to work your way back to balanced.” Magdiel Santana, Senior Program Analyst at NASA Headquarters, poses for a portrait, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020, near NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)