SALINAS FFA
Alumna Starts
Peace Corps Service
Breanna Uyeno, Sunny Hills FFA
Nathan Michalik Egan, Susanville FFA
Courtney Elizabeth Jones, Susanville FFA
Karinna Fe Lepe, Susanville FFA
Callie E Wemple, Susanville FFA
Holly Mae Fortin, Susanville FFA
Taylor Bailey, Sutter FFA
Logan Hill, Sutter FFA
Emily Schreiner, Sutter FFA
KRISTINA WOOLSEY, Sutter Creek - Amador FFA
ZOEY YOUNG, Sutter Creek - Amador FFA
Jaycee Sharp, Taft FFA
Shelby Watts, Taft FFA
Matthew Bongiovanni, Tracy FFA
Rebecca Duran, Tulare FFA
Peyton Fernandes, Tulare FFA
Nitin Gupta, Tulare FFA
Shelby Keen, Tulare FFA
Luke Van Dyk, Tulare FFA
Jeremiah Lucas, Tulare FFA
Sid Walker, Tulelake FFA
Mary Frances Scanlan, Tulelake FFA
Anthony Kellogg, Tuolumne - Summerville FFA
Charley Baptista, Turlock FFA
Luke Reis, Turlock FFA
Madison Danee Wallace, Turlock FFA
Jonathan Santos Moules, Turlock FFA
kyle Manuel Silva, Turlock FFA
Robert Louis Marchy, Turlock FFA
Hailey Atwood, Turlock - Pitman FFA
Makayla Brady, Turlock - Pitman FFA
Andrew Lloyd Curt, Valley Center FFA
Emily L Franko, Valley Center FFA
Sandra Diane Gaylord, Visalia - Golden West FFA
Chad Gunner Nagel, Visalia - Golden West FFA
Hannah Jane Seymore, Visalia - Golden West FFA
Kayla Belcher, Visalia - Mt. Whitney FFA
Adam Kagy, Visalia - Mt. Whitney FFA
Adrian S. S Reyna Jr., Wasco FFA
Fatima Rivera Lopez, Wasco FFA
Jose Varela, Westminster FFA
Lillian Sargent-Smith, Wheatland FFA
Fallon Griffin, Winters FFA
Stewart Ray Andres, Woodland-Pioneer FFA
Harley Sweeden, Yuba City FFA •
Teresita Mendoza, 22, of Salinas,
began Peace Corps service in Zambia in
September 2018, training as an education
volunteer.
“I think there’s very little I could do with
my life that I’d find more fulfilling than
helping others in whatever capacity I can,”
said Mendoza of her desire to join the
Peace Corps. “More than anything, being
exposed to different ways of life and beliefs
will allow me to be more compassionate
and understanding—something the world
can always use more of.”
Mendoza is the daughter of Jose
Mendoza Ramos and Patricia Padilla of
Salinas and a graduate of North Salinas
High School. She attended University of
California, Davis, where she earned a
bachelor’s degree in communication and
Spanish earlier this year. Prior to joining the
Peace Corps, she was a mentor with The
Opportunity Program at Douglass Middle
School in Woodland and an aide with the
Spanish immersion program at Marguerite
Montgomery Elementary School in Davis.
She also acted as president of
the North Salinas Future Farmers
of America (FFA) chapter and
president of the Monterey Bay
Section of FFA.
During the first three months
of her service, Mendoza will
live with a host family in Zambia
to become fully immersed in the
country’s language and culture.
After acquiring the necessary
skills to assist her community,
Mendoza will be sworn into
service and assigned to a
community in Zambia, where
she will live and work for two
years with the local people.
“Professionally, I hope to
create a space for my students
where mistakes are not
seen as inherently negative,
especially when an effort is
being made,” said Mendoza.
“The lessons should be student
California FFANEWS • PAGE 12 • Spring 2019
based, taking into account their learning
styles. Personally, I hope to appreciate
the opportunity I’ve been given. I suspect
keeping an open mind will be a strong ally
during my service.”
Mendoza will work in cooperation with
the local people and partner organizations
on
sustainable,
community-based
development projects that improve the lives
of people in Zambia and help Mendoza
develop leadership, technical and cross-
cultural skills that will give her a competitive
edge when she returns home. Peace Corps
volunteers return from service as global
citizens well-positioned for professional
opportunities in today’s global job market.
Mendoza joins the 873 California
residents currently serving in the Peace
Corps and more than 30,887 California
residents who have served in the Peace
Corps since 1961. •