SAN JOSE — It’s OK to dream big. That’s the message NASA astronaut Jose Hernandez grew up hearing as he worked alongside his parents and siblings in agricultural fields throughout California. It’s the same message he shared with 1,000 students and their parents Saturday at San Jose State at an annual conference.

The event — dubbed the College Day Gives You ALAS Conference — aims to motivate and educate Latino families in Santa Clara County when it comes to planning for college. ALAS stands for Advancing Latinx Achievement and Success.

University officials invited fifth- through 11-grade students from 32 school districts.

Hernandez, born in Stockton, where he currently resides, spent much of his childhood in Mexico. He shared the pivotal moment when in 1972 he realized he wanted to become an astronaut as he watched Eugene Cernan moon walk in the Apollo 17 mission on a black-and-white television set.

“That’s what I’m going to be,” he remembered telling himself. “The best thing I did that evening was share that dream with my parents.

“My parents never gave me money for school,” he added. “But they gave me something more: that’s to believe in myself.”

Hernandez, now 54, said he was turned down 11 times before being selected as one of 100 individuals to participate in a rigorous vetting process at NASA. After that, he would be turned down a few more times before finally joining the prestigious agency.

He journeyed on the STS-128 shuttle mission, where he oversaw the transfer of more than 18,000 pounds of equipment between the shuttle and the International Space Station and helped with robotics operations.

“We cannot give up on ourselves. We’ve got to believe in ourselves,” Hernandez said.

Saturday’s conference was critical for many Latino families who face significant roadblocks in sending their children to college, often unaware of the resources available to them, said Fernanda Perdomo-Arciniegas, San Jose State’s director of campus and community relations.

“Sometimes we, as Latinos, maybe because we’re often first-generation students or we’re immigrants, don’t know about how the school system actually works,” she said. “So these conferences tell them exactly what the prerequisites are, what the proper channels to go to college are, and what financial aid is available.”

Hosting the event at San Jose State is especially important because it’s often the first time these families step foot on a college campus, she said.

The day included campus tours and a series of workshops on admission and financial aid applications, how to get to college and resources for undocumented students, among other topics.

Mary Perez said she brought her daughter Vanessa, 17, to learn how to fill out college applications and financial aid forms, with the hope that she’ll attend San Jose State next year.

“I want her to get an education, get a degree and a good job so that she can succeed,” Perez said.

Throughout the years in which he was rejected by NASA, Hernandez picked up valuable skills he felt would improve his chances of one day being selected, such as becoming a certified scuba diver, a licensed pilot and even learning Russian. That persistence paid off.

“It’s OK to dream big,” he said. “Just look at this immigrant farm kid from Michoacán.”