Marlén Mendoza (BA international studies, global health, ‘16) is the associate director of external affairs at the Latino Policy Forum in her hometown of Chicago, Illinois, and founder and CEO of Mendoza Consulting, a community development business based in the Midwest. Mendoza was recently named in the Corridor Business Journal’s 2023 Forty Under 40 list for her work in advocating for the creation of the South of 6 Iowa City Business District which supports black and brown small business owners and entrepreneurs.
Mendoza’s career path was shaped by her time at Iowa, from her coursework and work experience to her study abroad experiences. She describes herself as a connector and a facilitator, and she is passionate about bringing people together to make change in their communities.
CHICAGO ROOTS
Raised in Chicago by a single mom, Mendoza experienced firsthand the power of community. Her mom was a community organizer for their church, St. John Bosco, on the west side of Chicago. She also led many initiatives for families and organized annual fundraising festivals for the church.
“She was a natural businesswoman; everything I know about networking and building relationships comes from her,” said Mendoza. “My mom always did a good job telling my siblings and I that if you have a plan, and work hard for it, you’ll accomplish it. She also told me that one day I was going to travel to see the world, something she had sacrificed as an immigrant to give her kids an opportunity to pursue the American dream. She always encouraged it. She was right, and she kept that spirit of freedom and choice in me alive.”
Mendoza had an opportunity in high school to travel to Birmingham, England, for an international baccalaureate program to study for 10 days alongside English high school peers. She was the first in her family to travel to Europe.
“I grew up poor in an immigrant neighborhood,” Mendoza said. “I wanted to see life outside of my neighborhood.” Her mom was so excited that she told everyone in Mendoza’s church community.
FIRST TIME ABROAD
Going to England opened up a whole new world for Mendoza and she realized just how much there was to learn outside of one’s own country.
“Depending on where people grow up determines how they see the world,” said Mendoza. “I suddenly started asking myself all these big questions, like who am I in this world? It caused a little existential crisis in me.”
"This is what America is. You take those backgrounds and experiences and become your own person. The diversity of all this is what gives us our strength – our innovation; we bring all these differences and create something new.”
Her English peers would ask her about Justin Bieber, and where she was when Barack Obama became president. They also asked her why she described herself as Mexican American. Although she was uncomfortable with it, that question stuck with her, and she started asking herself what it meant to be an American.
“I was born and raised in the U.S. to Mexican immigrant parents and assimilated well into American culture,” explained Mendoza. “But the foundation of who I was, was Mexican culture, my first language was Spanish, and I was immersed in a predominantly Mexican immigrant neighborhood. This is what America is. You take those backgrounds and experiences and become your own person. The diversity of all this is what gives us our strength – our innovation; we bring all these differences and create something new.”
A SPARK FORGED IN INDIA
Mendoza knew she would study abroad in college. She started looking for short-term programs once at Iowa, and one of her advisors, Karla Alvarez, mentioned Iowa’s India Winterim program, specifically a course through the School of Social Work. She applied to the program and ended up spending two weeks in Puducherry, India, where she learned about the roles of NGOs in supporting those in need.
“We went to the Satya Special School, a school for people with disabilities where they are changing the narratives around children with disabilities by combatting the associated stigma,” shared Mendoza. “We also went to the Aravind Eye Hospital. We learned that the owner came to the U.S. to learn how McDonald’s creates efficient systems in their services. He brought these efficiencies back to his eye clinic in order to keep costs for patients low. I decided I wanted to do this – create an efficient system to help those in need.”
Once back from India, Mendoza told her advisor what she discovered, which led her to interview for a lab position in the College of Public Health in the Department of Community Behavioral Health.
“They had a grant to research the health perceptions of rural Latinos across the state of Iowa,” said Mendoza. “Every weekend I traveled to rural towns across Iowa that had high populations of Latinos. I did health surveys in small towns with the Latinos in town. My Spanish wasn’t that good. It was my first language, but I didn’t practice it much – not good enough to use professionally.”
This led her to study abroad again – this time in a Spanish-speaking country.
Her Study Abroad advisor helped her find the best fit based on her goals to practice Spanish and learn more about global health work.
“I gravitated towards Chile because it was the furthest away and I wanted to learn the cultural differences among other Spanish-speaking countries,” shared Mendoza. “My Spanish improved like crazy as I read more Spanish books. I also came out with so much more – a second family, memories that I’ll share with my future kids, understanding why it’s important to get out of your comfort zone, to grow, so you can understand how others live their lives.”
IMPACTING YOUTH POLICY IN DC
After graduation, Mendoza became a research assistant at the Center for Law and Social Policy in Washington, D.C. She worked on youth policy, conducting literature reviews and focus groups, and she traveled around the U.S. to ask young people how the policies or programs benefited them. The purpose was to develop policy solutions that would connect youth from low-income families to workforce training and jobs. The solutions would look different depending on the community.
“I could build rapport with young people in these focus groups, they would open up to me because we shared similarities in our upbringing,” said Mendoza. “Even though we came from different backgrounds, we connected over these issues.”
“I’m kind of a consultant and I don’t really know what it means,” explained Mendoza. “I don’t have a master's degree, I’m not an expert, but I did have experience. You have to put yourself out there and pivot and change as you go. No one teaches you that. You just have to learn by doing – it's the action that leads you to new opportunities.”
“Through this process, I realized there had to be a better way for national policy advocates to have a conversation with young people,” shared Mendoza. "I wanted to create a strategy to bring them to Capitol Hill and have them speak to the senators and representatives working on these issues. This would then create a pipeline for young people to become leaders in their communities or maybe get involved in national politics. It resulted in national youth campaigns, and we got more funding to support young people. It was natural to me as I was trained by the UI in my public health work.”
EXPERIENCE LEADS TO CONSULTING
She returned to Iowa in 2019 and was asked by the Aspen Institute and the Forum for Youth Investment to be a consultant for them and replicate a similar youth engagement strategy during COVID-19, and consulting opportunities kept coming.
“I’m kind of a consultant and I don’t really know what it means,” explained Mendoza. “I don’t have a master's degree, I’m not an expert, but I did have experience. You have to put yourself out there and pivot and change as you go. No one teaches you that. You just have to learn by doing – it's the action that leads you to new opportunities.”
Mendoza recently returned to Chicago and through her work at the Latino Policy Forum will continue to advocate for Latinos/Hispanics at the city and state level. She will also continue working as a consultant through her business with the mission to make policy personal one solution at a time through strategic advisement, community engagement, organizing strategy, and facilitation services to strengthen and revitalize underserved communities.
Mendoza was recognized earlier this year by the Gazette’s HER Women of Achievement Award, a program that celebrates individuals who are leading positive change in Eastern Iowa. She has also been recognized by the Iowa Women's Foundation, Think Iowa City (Bravo Award), and Greater Iowa City, Inc (Sizzle Award for Champions in Economic Development).
“I have always maintained my desire to explore other places and my own country; to learn the different facets of America,” stated Mendoza. “It has helped me become more of an open person and it helps me in the work I do now...You have to open yourself up to people from different backgrounds and walks of life, and say, we can do something with this.”
International Programs (IP) at the University of Iowa (UI) is committed to enriching the global experience of UI students, faculty, staff, and the general public by leading efforts to promote internationally oriented teaching, research, creative work, and community engagement. IP provides support for international students and scholars, administers scholarships and assistance for students who study, intern, or do research abroad, and provides funding opportunities and grant-writing assistance for faculty engaged in international research. IP shares their stories through various media, and by hosting multiple public engagement activities each year.