Osiel Mendoza "17 is passionate about giving back to communities and seeing his work affect others in a positive way. When it came time to select a university, the Martinez, California, native decided to explore life outside of the golden state at a school with a well-known sports business program. Now a junior at the University of Oregon, Mendoza is majoring in business administration with a concentration in sports business and a minor in nonprofit administration.
And he is already putting his studies to use. Mendoza serves as the vice president of the Warsaw Sports Business Club (WSBC), the executive director for the University of Oregon Youth Movement, and is an intern for the University of Oregon football department.
In April, the Youth Movement, led by Mendoza, will hold its fifth annual field day at the University of Oregon.
“We invite approximately 200 Native American youth for an old-fashioned sports field day filled with team sports, relay races, and native games," said Mendoza. “We want to inspire them to be active and healthy."
The field day is an event modeled after Nike N7, a program promoting athletics in Native American communities. The first field day was held in 2012 at the University of Oregon, and since then, it has spread to five other universities around the country.
After graduating in spring 2017, Mendoza plans to stay on the West Coast, working in sports and community relations for either a major sports team or a nonprofit organization.
Follow Mendoza on Twitter @OCLMendoza.
—Lea Adamovic, School of Journalism