Who is Chelsea Mendiola?

Who is Chelsea Mendiola?

By Marc Esquivel Posted September 16, 2010

Throughout the history of Nevada high school sports, only a handful of people have been able to win a state championship as an athlete and a coach at the same school. Chelsea Mendiola’s dad, Vince Mendiola, and Chad Peters, are part of this handful of great athletes and coaches.

Ms. Mendiola hopes to one day accomplish this great feat.

“That’s something that’s always in the back of my mind, that’s what I want and that’s where one day I want to be,” said Mendiola.

Chelsea Mendiola was born and raised in Winnemucca, NV. She has been involved with the Winnemucca community most of her life. After she graduated from Lowry High School in 2003, she moved to Reno where she attended UNR and got her degree in Elementary and Special Education. And, just like many people raised in Winnemucca, she vowed to never come back. But, like most people that make that same vow, she came back and moved back in with her parents, Vince and Joyce. She started her student teaching and since then, Winnemucca has really grown on her.

“I never left, so, I guess it was meant to be,” said Mendiola.

She taught at Grass Valley Elementary for one year as a fourth-grade teacher. She then transferred to the high school where she teaches special education and also coaches the JV girls basketball team and the girl’s golf team. According to Mendiola, she believes that the JV girls basketball team is better than the freshman boys basketball team because she feels that the JV girls have a better coaching staff than that of the freshman boys, which consists of Mr. Taua Cabatbat and Mr. Ty Lucas.

Mendiola has always wanted to be a teacher, likes seeing kids succeed, and both her parents worked at a school, so, teaching really suits her well.

Mendiola said, “I’ve pretty much been around [teaching] my whole life. My dad was a teacher, my mom is a secretary, I love working with kids….and pretty much since first grade knew I wanted to be a teacher.”

She believes that every kid has a chance to go to college and succeed in life, according to her; you just have to “dare to dream.” 

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