Midland College (MC) student and Odessa native Angelica Mendoza first found her passion for teaching children after serving as a volunteer volleyball coach for the Boys & Girls Club, according to an MC press release.
“My niece asked me to coach her volleyball team at the Boys and Girls Club,” Mendoza said. “I just couldn’t say ‘no’ to her. I loved working with the children and teaching them about volleyball. The girls on my volleyball team, Divaz, made such an impact on me. They helped me realize that my true calling was to be a teacher.”
Mendoza also played volleyball for her Odessa High school team until she graduated in 2001 and enrolled at The University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB); there she did make the volleyball team but decided not to participate due to work and dropped out of UTPB shortly after.
For the next 17 years, Mendoza was employed by the State of Texas where she handled applications for Medicaid and food stamps; she would later work as a supervisor for the First American Home Warranty.
Despite enjoying her time working for the state, Mendoza also stated that she felt she could do more to help people and desired a more fulfilling long-term career.
“It took me a while to discover what I wanted to do," Mendoza said. "I was happy working for the state and for the home warranty company, but I never felt like they were truly careers. They were just a means to make a living. Now that I have started taking education courses, I see what I was missing in those other jobs; a passion to make a difference and help change lives."
Mendoza is currently enrolled in the Associate of Arts Teaching program and has completed observation studies for several grade levels at Travis Elementary.
“I say my favorites are fifth and sixth grades but I just started helping with preschool children and I also enjoy the little ones,” Mendoza said. “I just love working with and teaching children of all ages. I hope that I can instill in them the importance of education."
Currently, Mendoza works with the fifth graders at De Zavala Elementary School as a teaching assistant while continuing her MC courses online.
"My favorite saying to my children and to the Divaz is ‘Always reach further than the stars,’” Mendoza said. “I strive to live by that saying every day.”