Ella Ochoa

Ella Ochoa was born in Laredo in 1945 and raised in Cotulla, Texas.[1] She was dedicated to her family, exceptionally so when she lost her mother and later her father at a young age. While education was a top priority she eventually left her schooling to take on many jobs to support her family. She worked as a migrant farmworker across Texas, North Dakota, and Minnesota.

In 1979, Ochoa co-founded the Nebraska Association of Farmworkers and became its executive director. The organization became the NAF Multicultural Human Development Corporation with advocacy missions for physical, financial, social and educational well-being of seasonal farmworkers, minorities and other disadvantaged persons.[2] She also was a member of the Farmworker Justice Fund Inc between 1995 and 2003.[3]

In 2000, Ochoa was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and began to advocate for the rights of the disabled.[4] In 2011, she was a volunteer with the Minority Health Advisory Committee for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.[5]

Ella Ochoa passed away on May 5, 2023 surrounded by family after a long hard-fought battle with cancer. She is survived by her husband Aurelio Ochoa, her 3 adults sons, and 4 adult grandchildren.

The NAF was an organization headquartered in Nebraska with locations in Scottsbluff, North Platte, Grand Island, Lincoln, and Omaha. While operating from 1979-2011, it offered many benefits to immigrant workers and helped to meet educational, developmental, and social needs.[6]

Ella Ochoa received The Ohtli Award in 1997, which is one of the highest awards given by the Mexican government to the Mexican community abroad.[7] She also received the Nebraska commission of the status of women “Women of the Year”. In 2005, she received the Cesar Estrada Chavez Award.[8] In 2012, she received the MAFO Lifetime Achievement Award.[4]