Leonel Mendoza

Leonel Mendoza was a member of the graduating FACES class of 2005. He attended Life Academy High School in Oakland, and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in Integrative Biology.

Leonel shares that FACES had opened his eyes to the multiple opportunities available in health care and in a hospital setting. Leonel states, "I have learned the multiple fields that are needed to run a hospital, from accountants, to lawyers and business administrators, the hospital has it all." Leonel also states the importance of programs like these in troubling communities where resources are lacking. Leonel states that, "Students all over Oakland don't feel the motivation and the support to move forward and become someone in life. FACES taught me that I needed to be dedicated and go for whatever I decided in life. Even now during my early stages of medical school applications, Dr. Magaña and the rest of the team at FACES are willing to go out of the way to help me in any way they can."

Furthermore, Leonel believes programs like FACES can help students see a whole different world outside the violence and poverty they are used to. He adds, "FACES gave me a small glimpse of what my life could be if I had an education and a career in healthcare; without them I would have just become another Oakland high school student lost in a path with no future. Now I have a college degree and I am on my way to fulfilling my dream of becoming a doctor."

Leonel has also returned to FACES to work along side the staff during their Summer Medical Academy and talk to students about his experiences during his studies. He states, "Returning to FACES was the least that I could do for what they have done for me. My hope is that by sharing my stories with FACES students, I can help them see that success is possible, even when all odds are against them."

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