Who I Am

I believe there’s more than enough in this country for everyone to live with dignity.

I was born and raised in Chicago and grew up in West Lawn in a working-class, immigrant, Latino family that defined perseverance. My parents didn’t have four-year college degrees, but they worked tirelessly to provide for our family. My dad managed a Blockbuster and picked up extra shifts wherever he could. My mom worked over two decades at the school my siblings and I attended to ensure we had access to a quality education.

The Mendozas

Even with all that effort, there were times where financially, my family was barely hanging on.

When I was a kid, my parents’ bank account hit $9.

I didn’t know it then, but my dad was putting just $2 worth of gas in his tank to get to and from work. My mom would make me and my two older siblings chocolate chip pancakes for dinner because pancake mix was what we had left.

What eventually changed my family's circumstances wasn’t luck — it was opportunity: the opportunity my dad had to finally enter into a stable career that paid him a livable wage. The opportunity for my parents to build up their savings, recover their credit, and eventually afford to buy a new car or have repairs on our home done.

Mendoza family photo

If opportunity is the difference that lifts families up, then every family deserves a fair shot.

Today, too many hard-working families are living paycheck to paycheck, starved of opportunities like fair wages, stable jobs, strong schools, and affordable housing. And while hardworking families are drowning in costs because they’ve lost their health insurance, can’t afford groceries, or aren’t paid a livable wage, Donald Trump and money-hungry politicians are cashing in. 

That’s why I’m stepping up. Because when I see families working hard and parents trying to do right by their kids, I am reminded of families like my own. I am reminded of my parents. And I would do anything to protect my family against someone who tries to hurt them.

Mendoza family photo