Jesus Mendoza, a second-year medical student at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, was featured in an October 7 story on NBC5 as part of its Project Community: Hispanic Heritage Month discussing how he is turning his own experience into a mission to improve care for Hispanic communities.
Diagnosed with uveitis—a rare autoimmune disorder affecting the eye—at the age of 12, Mendoza learned to navigate the health system alongside his immigrant, Spanish-speaking parents.
“I had to learn how to advocate for myself, translate at these medical appointments—not only for me, but for them,” he said. “It gave [me] perspective on what it means to be a patient.”
The California native is pursuing orthopedic surgery and spent the summer researching the ACL and how instability in the knee can affect the opposite leg after ACL surgery. Outside the lab, he volunteers as a Spanish interpreter at the Family Room, a local community space.
Mendoza said he hopes to work in California and Mexico, easing anxiety and stigma around doctor visits and mentoring future physicians.