Giving It His All: Meet Incoming Aggie Engineer Carlos Daniel Sanchez Espinoza
There is a phrase in the Hispanic community that Carlos Daniel Sanchez Espinoza lives by: “echándole ganas,” which translates to “giving it my all.”
Espinoza recently graduated from Sylmar Charter High School in Sylmar, California, where he was the senior class valedictorian. His story of hard work and dedication to his education went viral this summer, earning him worldwide praise as an example of Hispanic/Latino excellence.
He will join the University of California, Davis, as a first-year aerospace engineering student this fall, where he will focus his energy on preparing for a career in the space industry.
“I want to be one of the next Latino astronauts in space,” he said. “I know it’s a big dream, but I am willing to work hard for it.”
Starting Over
Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Espinoza was raised in Sinaloa, Mexico. He moved back to the United States at 15 to live with his cousin and aunt and complete his high school education. The integration was not easy.
“It was a big change,” Espinoza said. “I had to learn English and adapt to a new school. The language barrier was a big challenge.”
Despite learning a new language, Espinoza soon took advanced classes and participated in student leadership as senior class secretary and a member of the Associated Student Body, School Site Council and Local School Leadership Council, all while earning a 4.6 GPA.
During high school, he worked 40 hours a week as a manager at McDonald’s. He estimates he slept an average of three hours a night.
“It was not always easy,” he said, “but I learned how to manage my time. I stayed organized and worked hard.”
Engineering a Future
When it came time to apply for college, Espinoza knew he wanted to pursue engineering.
“I have always liked learning how things work,” he said. “I enjoy solving problems and building new ideas.”
Espinoza’s hard work and potential for success were recognized with acceptance to 29 colleges, including UC Berkeley, UCLA, Cornell University and Boston College. He also received over $80,000 in scholarships.
Ultimately, Espinoza chose UC Davis, where he will receive a full-ride scholarship to study aerospace engineering and pursue his dream of working at NASA’s space program.
Drawn to the beautiful, calm campus environment, Espinoza spoke with two current UC Davis aerospace engineering majors. Espinoza remembers them as welcoming and encouraging, sharing their experiences with him, giving him advice on adjusting to college and answering his questions about the aerospace engineering program.
“Talking to them made me even more excited about becoming an Aggie,” he said.
A Viral Inspiration
Espinoza’s story exploded online this summer, shared on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and other platforms.
He first became aware of the attention when several major Mexican newspapers and television outlets featured his story. Friends and family sent him links and screenshots, and he was amazed that so many people resonated with his story.
To him, he was doing the work, giving it his all to make his dream of becoming a NASA astronaut come true.
“It was honestly surreal,” he said. “I felt incredibly grateful and proud. It meant a lot to know that something so personal could reach and inspire so many people.”
