Written by: Alina Gomez, Staff Writer
MENDOZA: The mind of a young adult ready for a new chapter in life.
Katherine, or Katie, Mendoza is an 18-year-old senior at Poly High School who went through most of her high school experience during quarantine. Her sophomore year had been cut short due to COVID-19. In 2020 the COVID pandemic hit, leaving a whole year of online classes and staying home. This affected Mendoza in a variety of ways; she wasn’t able to visit her friends, and doing homework online wasn’t as much of a priority. When Katie was able to go back in person, it was her junior year of high school.
Mendoza has always found an interest in makeup and experimenting with it, trying out different looks and seeing which fun look she’ll do next. Disney has always been one of her favorite places, she describes it as “such a magical place,” bringing her back to a comforting time. ‘Beauty and the Beast’ being one of her favorite Disney movies, “it proves that we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.” Mendoza always shows her support for any new person that she gets to know, and loves getting to know her friends more throughout the years. Mendoza’s closest friends are just like family. “They are my whole wide world and I love them so much,” she shared. Katie’s dream place to live has always been Nashville, Tennessee, for its chill environment and R&B/country music that it is known for.
After high school, Mendoza’s plan is to attend cosmetology school in the ‘Salon Success Academy’ in Riverside California, where she hopes to fulfill her dream of becoming a cosmetologist. Currently, while she still attends high school, Mendoza has been working almost 2 years at the local ‘In N Out’ in Riverside. Mendoza works hard for her money and is saving up for a new place to live once she moves out after graduating. Katie Mendoza is a hard working woman who fights for what she wants.he will always support her friends and family and has a beautiful way of showing her love and appreciation to the people around her.