Lourdes Mendez Santana

Lourdes Mendez Santana was born on February 11, 1958 in Mexico City. She was one of 10 children, including 4 other girls and 5 boys. She grew up in a poor household and had a rough childhood, being deprived of simple luxuries we typically take for granted today, such as eating meat whenever she wanted or wearing nice clothes to school. However, once she was old enough to enter the workforce, she worked for the Mexican department store, Liverpool.

In her late 20’s, she decided to move to the US with her brother, Victor, to start a new life. She lived in Highland Park, working as a secretary at Franklin High School and later in envelope companies. In 1991, she gave birth to her only son, who she raised by herself and with some help from her brother. After the 9/11 attacks, she soon encountered a series of obstacles which shaped her to become a strong and resilient woman. Not yet a citizen, she could not rely on the government for support and had to work from one low-paying job to another, including cleaning houses and working in supermarkets. We were also temporarily homeless for about a year.

However, shortly afterwards, her luck finally changed when she earned her residency and could claim her taxes. I also began college and took her to live with me in a small apartment in West LA. We were finally able to turn the page and live a more comfortable life.

In retrospect, I realized that this was a perfect place for her to live in because she had always loved the beach and could now visit it whenever she wanted. We lived here for 15 years, and during that time she witnessed my graduation from UCLA as well as a master’s program.

She would always brag about me to her loved ones whenever she had a chance, even though I would find it annoying. However, I would let her have her moment because she struggled a lot and it was finally paying off. She always supported me in every decision I made, including difficult ones, because she trusted that my choices were for our own good. As a sign of appreciation for her trust, I made sure to not let her down. Whenever I would get caught up in my work, she would constantly remind me to take a step back and breathe. She never pressured me to pursue a path I was not comfortable taking, and if I made a mistake, she would cheer me up and tell me everything's ok. She did have her grumpy moments but she was very nice and caring. She was a cute and silly woman who never missed an opportunity to make jokes. She was also friendly to everyone she talked to and a very welcoming host.

Her favorite music was mainly rock and her hobbies included cooking and improving her English skills. Her simple pleasures included eating salty foods and watching novelas, though she would be embarrassed admitting to the latter. She would look forward to my days off from work so we could have lunch together and go for a ride around town.

She died relatively early, but at least she is now with her mom and older brother, and hopefully is guiding me from heaven, where she belongs. Unfortunately, like many people, I learned to value her love more after she left, but now the only thing I can do is live my life in a way that reflects her teachings and that would make her proud of me, knowing that one day I will be reunited with her.

RIP my little porky. I’ll always love you mom.