Still Building America—Susana Mendoza follows her instincts and interests

“You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off of you.” - Maya Angelou

Young people feel a certain pressure as their high school life evolves from living in the present to thinking about the future. Sometimes it’s applied by family, sometimes teachers, and sometimes counselors or advisers. As a 16-, 17-, or 18-year-old kid, most of us were still uncertain about our future, perhaps even confused by the scope and complexity of the choices. And we had a respect for our elders to push us in the right direction.

I most definitely went through that. But every generation is different, and right now American youth have access to a wide array of training that doesn’t necessarily require taking on six figures of debt to complete.

With high school behind her, Susana Mendoza reluctantly started down a path to medical school. She wasn’t sure what exactly she wanted to do, but in short order found that working in medicine was not going to bring her joy.

“I've always been a hands-on person; I love any kind of art, and I realized I wanted to make things, build things. That's something that would make me happy. So I thought about welding and carpentry. The technical college by my house offered a yearlong welding course. I decided to go with that, and I absolutely loved it!”

Having never welded up to that point, Susana jumped in and proved to be a quick study. She graduated from the program and also certified in stick, GTAW, GMAW, and FCAW in 3G and stick in 4G, as well.

Currently Susana welds for a company in Lakeville, Minn., creating industrial ovens. These ovens bake things like carbon fiber and solar panel cells, and then some. The frames, heaters, exhaust pipes, and doors are among the parts she builds.

“I love my job because I learn so much every day. It's all about practice and mastering the art. I work with so many older people; they are full of knowledge and always helping me get better at what I love doing.

“When I'm welding, I'm in my own world and just focused on that puddle and stacking dimes.”

Susana also has a second job at O’Reilly Auto Parts.

“I love helping people, and I get to help the Hispanic community get their car parts when they can't speak English.

“I would tell anyone to do what they love doing, take the time to find what makes them happy. If you're a hands-on person, you feel the satisfaction of knowing you built something on your own, and if you're a people-person, you feel the satisfaction of knowing you helped someone. So do what you feel makes you the happiest.”

All images courtesy of Susana Mendoza.

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