MLK Spirit Award winner, Mendoza, sets good example

Hard work and perseverance can make most anything possible.

Sal Mendoza Jr. is living proof of that.

The son of migrant farm workers, Mendoza learned his work ethic in the fields, rising before dawn to work with his family and then rushing to school in time to be counted for a full day’s attendance.

It was the kind of grueling schedule not many of us would have embraced as a teen.

But it helped lay the foundation for Mendoza’s future. He saw education as a path to a better future from a young age and set his sights on law school, graduating from the University of Washington with his bachelor’s degree and then completed law school at UCLA.

Two years ago, President Obama nominated Mendoza to serve as a District Court judge for Eastern Washington. After his approval by the U.S. Senate later that year, Mendoza, now 44, became the first Latino to serve in that position.

Given the path that led him to the bench and his service to the community, it is entirely fitting that Mendoza was named the 2016 Martin Luther King Jr. Spirit Award winner, an award given annually by Columbia Basin College to honor those who influence positive social change and display characteristics of King’s vision.

It would be hard to find a more inspiring story. And one that is entirely local. Mendoza is a Prosser High graduate whose parents moved here in the 1970s seeking a better life for their young family. Mendoza says he learned his drive and values from them.

CBC chose Mendoza for the award because of the example he has set for Latinos and the fact that he takes his position as a role model to heart.

“Along the way, (Mendoza) has always made sure he is someone who is aware of his stature in the community as a role model, and he is someone who is always trying to help others,” said CBC President Richard Cummins.

Mendoza, a former trustee at CBC, spent 15 years as an attorney in private practice to work as an assistant attorney general and deputy prosecutor in Franklin County. He also helped start the juvenile drug court program.

“The underprivileged and the nondominant culture in America need voices and representation,” Cummins said. “The Latino community is growing in Washington state and Sal is at the forefront of that leadership.”

Mendoza hopes that his story will inspire other young Latinos to pursue careers in law, to be bold enough to pursue their dreams, just as King’s words continue to inspire today.

“You understand you are the first, but you are not going to be the last,” Mendoza said.

This story was originally published January 18, 2016 at 5:41 PM with the headline "MLK Spirit Award winner, Mendoza, sets good example."