Victoria Mendez (BS '19)

Victoria's strong commitment to public service at Stanford began at the moment of her

arrival on campus. Immediately after joining Stanford SEEDS, Stanford's chapter of the

Ecological Society of America, Victoria became an active participant in teaching

partnerships with local high schools. Taking up SEEDS' mission to provide foundational

ecological education to under-served communities, Victoria has planned lessons,

organized field trips, attended conferences, and led successful classroom demonstrations

for the past three years, including one year of service as Stanford SEEDS' president. In

the summer of 2017, Victoria directed her efforts towards an internship at the California

Department of Conservation through a Haas Center Fellowship. Working in Sacramento,

she applied her knowledge and skills to the Transformative Climate Communities

program, which seeks to decrease greenhouse gas emissions while also providing

economic and health benefits to disadvantaged communities. In addition to her devotion

to environmental justice and sustainability, Victoria is an avid supporter of the anti-

bullying movement. As the National Director of the National Association of People

Against Bullying (NAPAB)'s school club program, Cool 2 Be Kind (C2BK), Victoria

supports over fifty anti-bullying club chapters worldwide. Her work on the C2BK program has earned

Victoria commendations from the City of San Clemente and the California State Senate.

Victoria's varied and energetic efforts to serve communities in need--both inside and

outside of the environmental sphere--make her a perfect candidate for the Julie Kennedy

Public Service Scholarship.