Author: Katlin Cilliers

Loreto Mendoza Jr.

Loreto Mendoza Jr. was born and raised on Maui. He joined the Marine Corps right after finishing high school, in 2012. He was deployed to Afghanistan in 2014, for about seven months. When he was there, he did patrols and convoys.

He was also stationed in California for a few years after coming back from South Asia. Mendoza is currently using his GI Bill benefits to further his education as he decided to end his active service. He’s working towards the Radiologic Technology Program at KCC.

“[The military] gave me a lot of opportunities, education-wise. … I had to grow up fast. I was a 20-year old, 19 year-old in charge of guys who were 25-year old guys.”

In his free time, Mendoza enjoys spear fishing.

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Voices & Views

  • Justin NguyenJustin Nguyen
    Justin Nguyen is a 22-year-old Biology major here at KCC. As a native from Kaimukī, Nguyen is in his senior year of college. Having already completed most of his college credits on the mainland at Creighton University in Nebraska, Nguyen came back to KCC to finish his bachelor's degree. "A lot of healthcare jobs are associated with this major [biology]", Nguyen said. "I also have a lot of friends being biology majors, so I thought that we could help each other study and stuff. Biology is really interesting, too, though, I really enjoyed science in high school." Nguyen plans on returning to Creighton University after he receives his bachelor's of science in biology. At Creighton, Nguyen wishes to enter dentistry school. His dream is to become a pediatric dentist, and he has held this dream for an extremely long time. "I remember when I was four or five, I went to the dentist for the first time," he said. "I got really excited, and I told my mom that I wanted to be a dentist. I always enjoyed my dentist —his name was David Sumikawa — he was super kind and nice to children. He really cared about his job, and that got me interested in this profession." For other people who wish to follow the biology or dentistry path, Nguyen encourages students to study and work hard and to not slack off. Additionally, Nguyen believes that by reviewing old school work and notes, you can build your knowledge up and be able to do well in more difficult classes.

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