Heart BEAT

Mendoza's Community Pride Shines In Prescott

Editor's Note: This is the first of a three-part series of profiles on the winners of this year's Times $500 community service scholarships given to Waitsburg, Prescott and Dayton students. These three seniors were chosen for our scholarship based on community service, grades, need and their bright futures. Pedro Mendoza is the scholarship winner from Prescott High School.

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RESCOTT - Pedro

Mendoza, a graduating senior at Prescott High School, spent his high school career playing soccer, picking up trash around his Vista Hermosa community, feeding children at the local day care and loving his small school and community.

Mendoza, 18, has lived in Vista Hermosa since he was 5 and said he loved attending school in a small district.

"I actually like it because it's small," Mendoza said. "You get along with everybody and the teachers actually care."

He graduated last Friday with a 2.74 GPA. Mendoza's parents are Pedro and Berenice Mendoza.

Mendoza's favorite subject in school is math because it has always come easily to him and when he struggled, he said his teachers and his father were always there to help him sort it out.

Because of the help his teachers have provided, he has a deep respect for them.

"I've always admired all of my teachers," he said.

And they are proud of him and the work he has done.

"Pedro is well-deserving of (The Times) scholarship," said teacher and soccer coach Mark Grimm. "He was great soccer player for our team this year, showing great leadership for our younger players. He has always been very polite and respectful to me and all staff and students here at our school."

One of the highlights of high school was playing goalie for WP's successful soccer team for its two years of existence. The first year, 2010, the team went 18-0, he said. Last year, he said his team was overly confident and struggled a bit in the beginning. But, once they started working harder, the Tigers made it all the way to the state championship game and won.

He said being first and second goalie was fun, but his favorite part was his team.

"You really get to be close with your friends and teammates," Mendoza said.

And being respectful of the other teams and their players means he could make new friends.

While he wasn't on the soccer field, Mendoza was donating his time to his community.

He volunteered two days a week since seventh grade at the Orchard View Market in Vista Hermosa cleaning the exterior, sweeping and picking up trash. Inside the shop, he dusted shelves, cleaned the bathroom and worked in the kitchen.

"I didn't want to stay at home," Mendoza said as to why he has volunteered for so many years.

All of that volunteering eventually earned him a paying job at the shop and he plans to continue working there this summer.

"When they need help in the community they know they can ask me," he added.

Mendoza said he is motivated to lend a helping hand because he wants his community to look good. He talks with his two younger sisters about taking care of Vista Hermosa and encourages them to pick up litter when they see it.

In addition to volunteering at the shop, he obtained his first aid, CPR and food handler's certifications and works at the New Horizon Day Care.

There, he organizes the kitchen, cleans, washes laundry and feeds the children.

"I do like working with kids," Mendoza said. "They can be a lot of fun."

And if that isn't enough, when the dental van came to visit, Mendoza acted as translator and assistant to the dentist. He said he really liked this job because dentistry is similar to auto mechanics - the field he wants to work in.

"Pedro is always happy, positive, and full of energy," said his teacher Kirsten Whitlock. "I don't think I've ever seen him not smiling! He is also one of the nicest, most courteous young men I've gotten to know in my teaching career. He is dedicated to his family, his classmates, and his sports teams, and he is committed to his goals for the future. I am proud to have worked with him. He is a truly great person!"

Next fall, Mendoza will enroll at Columbia Basin College and will study auto mechanics for two years.

He said when he graduates with his degree, an auto mechanic in Pasco said he may be able to do on-the-job training.

But, auto mechanics won't be the end of the road for Mendoza. He said he also plans to take on another career in his lifetime, maybe get his pilot's license or be an electrician.

And when Mendoza has a career, he never plans to stop giving back.

"I want to help my parents with bills and give some money to my sisters," he said.