To Reshape His Future, Trustee Mendoza Became a Blue Devil

By Luciana Chavez Special to Merced College Like so many Merced College students, Mario Mendoza is simply trying to improve his life and career. Unlike his fellow students, Mendoza also serves the district as the Area 1 representative on the Merced College Board of Trustees.

Mendoza, a commercial truck driver and former City of Livingston Planning Commissioner, spoke recently about the difficult twists and turns that led him to reshape his professional life through education.

“The best grades I’ve ever had in my whole life, I had at Merced College,” said Mendoza, who earned his AA in May 2024 and completed his first semester—earning two A’s and one B—at CSU Stanislaus last month.

“I’m studying to become a special ed teacher,” he said. “I’m living the dream I was supposed to live back in the day.”

When asked what prompted him to go back to school at age 52, Mendoza began thinking of his own difficult youth. He shared the tragic story of how his 20-year-old brother Luis A. Mendoza was murdered in September 2002.

“He was in the wrong place at the wrong time, in between gangs,” Mendoza said. “It was a very heavy feeling of sadness for me for a long time. It still feels like it happened yesterday. You know, he was attending Merced College, and he also wanted to be a teacher.”

Saying those words, Mendoza had an epiphany.

“It just hit me right now,” he said. “He was on a good path. I do draw inspiration from him. Honest to God, I know what he wanted to do with his life. It just dawned on me that now I’m doing the same thing. This is crazy.”

Changing careers and leveling up through education might be the best things Mendoza, who struggled with the wrong crowd in his youth, could do with his grief. It’s already the approach Mendoza, the trustee, encourages in others.

“I tell a lot of people, ‘It’s never too late to change,’” he said. “As I got older, I felt like I couldn’t stay stuck in the past. We all have to change with the times. Don’t have a fixed mindset. Have a growth mindset. There’s no obstacle too big to overcome. Si se puede, si se puro.” (Yes, you can, if you’re pure.)

Mendoza then talked about the work the college is doing to give local farmworkers that chance. Merced College is leading the state in several initiatives to upgrade skills among the region’s ag workforce, help them earn higher wages, and give them a boost to higher education, through Competency-Based Education.

“There is so much innovation happening,” he said. “We all need to think of their futures and stay ahead of the changes.”

Mendoza has also used his experience and observations as a student to elevate that perspective at board meetings.

For example, he pushed to provide free access to local bus lines for students. And he advocated for allowing the Los Banos Campus to hold its own graduation ceremony, which began in 2023 and has quickly become a beloved Westside tradition.

The Livingston native served seven years as a Planning Commissioner in Livingston before throwing his hat into the ring for local office. He first lost a race for County Supervisor, then ran for his current seat on the Merced Community College District Board and won in 2018.

At Merced College, he is also a vocal advocate for the Puente Program, which supports Latino education, unity and cultural identity, and the MESA Center (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement). Both groups advance achievement for students who are traditionally underrepresented in both higher education and STEM.

Two years ago, Mendoza worked with English Professor Michael G. Barba and Puente Program counselor Enrique Renteria to welcome State Sen. Anna Caballero, then-Merced County Supervisor Rodrigo Espinoza, and Livingston Mayor Jose Moran—all Latinos in politics—for a Puente Program mentoring event.

“I want to leave our students an easier path to reach their goals,” Mendoza said. “We brought in those leaders to show them what is possible in life. No matter your background, income or gender, as long as you put in the effort, you can achieve your goals.”

Mendoza is a huge fan of Merced College. He hopes to one day teach there.

“I highly recommend to everyone to come here or work here,” Mendoza said. “It’s not a job—it’s a family. It’s awesome.”