Lorena Sanabria's Journey Among the Stars
Apr 06, 2025
Lorena Sanabria is a CRONUS Flight Controller trainee at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Astronomy and Astrophysics, with a minor in Russian Studies, and later completed her Master’s in Data Science, focusing on High-Performance Computing and Big Data.
Today, she is building her career at the very place she once dreamed about as a child.
But this journey didn’t begin at NASA.
It began at home.
From Dream to NASA
Lorena Sanabria was just 8 years old when she said something that would change her family’s life forever:
“I’m fascinated by space and I want to study a subject related to it.”
For her parents, this wasn’t a cute childhood wish.
It felt serious. Real. And full of responsibility.
That moment became the beginning of a long, brave journey.
When a Child Dreams Big, Parents Must Decide Bigger
Lorena’s parents looked at each other and knew one thing: If this dream mattered to her, they had to make room for it.
That decision wasn’t easy. It meant leaving behind: the country where they were born, their family, friends and the comfort of what was familiar. They didn’t just support a dream. They restructured their entire lives around it.
As parents, they understood something deeply - we are not just cheerleaders. We are builders of the path.
15 Years of Sacrifice, Patience and Persistence
Dreams don’t come with shortcuts.
Over 15 years, the whole family made sacrifices: missed moments, hard transitions, emotional and personal challenges.
And yes—there were times Lorena almost gave up. The journey wasn’t always inspiring. Sometimes it was exhausting.
But the dream had already taken root. Turning back was no longer an option. Her parents stayed steady. They believed when things felt heavy. They stayed committed when progress felt slow.
That consistency mattered.
The Dream Becomes Real
Today, that 8-year-old girl is part of NASA.
Lorena didn’t just reach her goal—she continues to grow inside it. She is - deeply motivated to keep learning, surrounded by excellent mentors and contributing to a field she once only imagined.
Her parents’ pride is quiet but powerful. They give thanks to God. Then, to every person who supported them and to the country that welcomed them and accepted them as American citizens.
This wasn’t just a personal win. It was a shared victory.
A Message to Parents Everywhere
Today’s Spotlight - Lorena’s father Hector Sanabria Chacon shared,
I want to extend this message to all parents: we can dream with our children; we are largely responsible for making these dreams come true; establishing a solid and concrete plan based on a timeline of how long it will take to conquer the results.
When parents take a child’s dream seriously, the impact can last a lifetime.
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