Desiring to become an astronaut, Hocken joined the ROTC and went to UCLA on a full ROTC scholarship. There, in 1988, she shared a class with John Sheppard who sat behind Hocken and she never noticed him as a result. Sheppard developed an interest in Hocken and after learning of his parents impending divorce, befriended her. Hocken confessed to Sheppard her desire to become an astronaut and became a vital support system to him after his father stopped paying for Sheppard's schooling due to Sheppard's behavior towards his new much younger wife. When Sheppard contemplated just enlisting in the Air Force rather than sucking up to his father to continue college, Hocken suggested that he instead try for an ROTC scholarship at the beginning of his junior year and helped Sheppard set up the test t