As we wrap the year up and graduation approaches, we are reminded of the Seniors who will be leaving us. For Senior Amy Hernandez Mendoza, these four years were more than just class and homework; they were a time of self-discovery and personal growth.
Hernandez Mendoza is a bright student who exceeds expectations and pushes herself academically, while also taking advantage of the opportunities UHS offers outside of core subjects. She has completed the Construction CTE pathway and is currently enrolled in woodworking. She combined her love for building with her AP Calculus class, where she built a ukulele for a final project.
Reflecting on her freshman year, Hernandez Mendoza says her biggest regret is not joining a club or being involved in campus activities sooner. She stresses the importance of connecting with other students early on in high school so “You know you have someone to support you.”
Wishing she had a supportive community during her freshman year, Hernandez Mendoza encouraged students to explore different activities, whether that be sports, arts, electives, or clubs, “anything you could connect with people on.” She explained that Freshman year is a “perfect chance to explore anything and everything.”
However, she also cautions students against overwhelming themselves by committing to too many activities at once. Instead, she believes students should spend time exploring a wide variety of interests before dedicating themselves to what they’re most passionate about. Through this, students can discover what matters most to them, and she describes this as a crucial step towards “discovering your values.”
Through this process, she found that she enjoys helping others, and for this reason, Link Crew, a program that helps freshmen adjust to high school, was the perfect fit. She found it easy to understand and sympathize with students who are going through the same challenges she once faced, so she joined the program at the close of her freshman year.
During Sophomore year, she became more involved in school functions and really came out of her shell. This confidence pushed Hernandez Mendoza to try out for the basketball team, where she realized the importance of sports on students’ confidence and self-esteem.
Basketball was her escape from the stress of school, and she encourages students to find activities that help with their mental well-being.
The drama class also played an important role in shaping her self-confidence. Through improv, she learned, “Life is unpredictable, and you have to be able to adapt.” She says these lessons have helped her manage stress and become more comfortable handling unexpected situations.
Learning to deal with anxiety proved to be incredibly useful during her Junior year, which she realized was much more stressful than she anticipated. She had to juggle many things at once: school, a job, friends, homework, and home life, which often felt overwhelming.
However, she recognizes the importance of taking on challenges in high school, mentioning, “the experience taught me responsibility.” This has helped her grow as a person, and as she described, it’s one big “step towards adulthood.”
Now at the end of her senior year, Hernandez Mendoza shares bittersweet feelings. She’s happy to see friends leaving for college and has accepted that they will “eventually have to say goodbye.” Friends aren’t the only thing she’s going to miss; she will also miss the high school. “I’m no longer going to wake up and go to this place that I’ve grown attached to.”
Overall, she describes the high school years as a turning point in life, saying, “It’s a chance for you to explore and figure out who you are as a person.”
For Hernandez Mendoza, one of the most important and admirable characteristics of a successful student is their work ethic. Trying your hardest is one of the best ways to prove to yourself that you are making the most of your time. As she puts it, “If you’re trying your best, then you’re not lying to yourself.”
She believes that her experience and what she has learned at Ukiah High have influenced how she sees her future. After much thought, she tells students that high school is a perfect time to “learn your morals and beliefs [and] know who you are.”
After high school, Hernandez Mendoza plans to complete her prerequisite classes at Mendocino College and then transfer to a larger university to study genetics. She has noticed that because we live in a rural area, “We don’t have a lot of clinics nearby, and not a lot of services that some people need.” She hopes to give back to her community and offer local opportunities in the future.
Caring for others is an important value of hers, and has prompted her to pursue these goals. She traces her love for helping others back to what she has learned here at Ukiah High, which taught her to leave a positive impact on the world. A favorite piece of advice that Hernandez Mendoza once received was, “make the experience for the next generation a little bit better.”
Amy Hernandez Mendoza will be graduating with her classmates on June 5th, and while bittersweet, she is ready for the next step in life. Through her time here at Ukiah High, she discovered the importance of community and helping others; lessons she hopes future students will carry with them as they begin their own journeys.
Feature photo credit: Savannah Kram
Audriena Ramos
Audriena Ramos is a junior at Ukiah High. She is from Alpine, Texa and moved to Ukiah five years ago. This is her first year taking journalism. She is the vice president of the UHS Women's Empowerment club, and outside of school, she enjoys doing ballet with Mendocino Ballet.