2014 was a year of triumphs for Puerto Rican Julie Ann Rivera Pérez, who received a medal of honor from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and was selected to participate in a very competitive leadership program in the agency.

Rivera Perez earned the Medal of Equal Employment from NASA for promoting diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunities for the Hispanic community through her initiatives as president of the Hispanic Advisory Committee for Employees (HACE) for the past two years. In addition, leadership and job performance earned her a coveted seat in the NASA First Program, whose purpose is to identify and train the future leaders of the agency.