Hispanic Heritage Profile: Patricia Menchaca

Patricia Menchaca
STEM Pathways Coordinator

What is your Latino heritage (ex: Guatemalan, Mexican, or Puerto Rican)?

Mexican

Has your family always lived in the United States? If not, when did your family migrate to the United States?

No, my parents came here in the late 1950s. My father was a laborer and my mother a “homemaker.”

What do you like most about your Hispanic culture and why?

I appreciate the value placed on family. There is always someone to visit, someone to laugh with, and most importantly, you know you always have someone to love you.

What are your hobbies outside of Crafton?

Reading, video games, and gardening.

Describe one obstacle you have faced in your life?

Getting an education while being a single parent.

Describe one of your greatest achievements (academic or personal)?

Personal: Having the skills to find work and take classes only during my kids’ school hours so that I could always be home with them. Academic: Being a featured soil scientist in a Smithsonian Museum of Natural History exhibit.

Where did you go to school?

University of California, Riverside

Is there anything you would like to share?

Every day that I have dropped my children off at school (which has been for 9 years now) I remind them of two simple things that I never want them to forget and I think all people should cherish: “Remember to be kind and try your best.”