USU Cooperative Extension Professional Receives Lifetime Community Award

Hector Mendiola, Utah State University Cooperative Extension program director for Latino communities, was awarded the Utah Valley University Rubio Lifetime Community Award for his commitment to advancing the Latino community. He recently received the award at the Latin American Celebration held on the UVU campus.

 

According to Yudi Lewis of the UVU Latino Initiative, the program aims to increase educational and career opportunities for Latino students and their families in local communities by networking with community partners, engaging parents and students along their educational pathways and providing culturally sensitive and relevant educational information.

 

Mendiola said he is proud to be designated for the award, but believes his work with the Latino community in Utah could not have been achieved without support from USU Extension and its partners, the Consulate of Mexico in Salt Lake City, the Technological Institute of Monterrey, Mexico, the USU Credit Union and the school districts of Logan, Cache, Granite and Salt Lake City.

 

I hope through new collaborations between USU and UVU, we can continue to serve successfully in the educational work for the Latino community of Utah, he said.

 

“Dr. Mendiola exemplifies the great tradition of cooperative Extension and is most deserving of this award,” said Charles W. Gay, associate vice president and associate director for USU Extension. “He has established partnerships that have made a significant difference in the quality of life for many Latino families in Utah through educational assistance.”

 

Mendiola practiced as a family doctor in Mexico from 1955 to 1970, then joined the faculty as a teaching professor at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. He retired and moved to Logan in 1993 where he was a volunteer teacher for Mexican and Latino families. He joined the USU Extension faculty as a Latino educator in 1999.

 

 

Contact: Juleene Reese, Extension writer, (435) 797-0810, Julene.reese@usu.edu

Contact: Hector Mendiola, 435-752-6263