Profile of Success

It’s no exaggeration to say that the Mike Hauser Academy created a rocket scientist—at least if you ask recent college grad and Mike Hauser Academy Alumnus Nikko Mendoza. In June 2018, Nikko graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Aerospace Science & Engineering, an educational path and career trajectory that he fully attributes to his participation in the 2009 Academy.

“The Academy has made a huge impact on my life,” says Nikko. “I never knew what an engineer was or did until I attended the Academy. I was very fortunate to be in this program where I was able to visit excellent companies such as Agilent (now Keysight Technologies), Medtronic, and PG&E. Each company contributed significant experiences that shaped my aspirations to become a student of science, math, engineering, and curiosity.”

Graduating from the Academy before his freshman year at Roseland University Prep, Nikko diligently worked toward his goal of becoming the first in his family—a family that includes 5 older brothers and 1 older sister—to go to college, earning a spot in UC Davis’ competitive Aerospace Engineering program.

During his time at UC Davis, Nikko continued to give back to the Mike Hauser Academy and other youth-serving programs. He worked with programs in Yolo, Sacramento, and Solano counties that help underserved students gain an interest in STEM. Nikko also continued to serve his home community by speaking at Mike Hauser Academy graduations, RUP, and Community Action Partnership’s Youth Connection, sharing stories about his journey, encouraging students to persevere through difficulties, and inspiring youth to rise above expectations and achieve their educational goals.

“If it was not for the Academy—the excellent teachers, company volunteers, and the Chamber who made this program possible—I don’t know where I would be right now,” says Nikko. “I received direction and assurance that despite how I may look or where I came from, I can be an engineer who has the potential to change the world.”

“You must have confidence in your competence.” – Elijah Cummings

Inspiring students is at the heart of the Mike Hauser Academy experience. Inspiring the vision of their future-selves in a STEM career; inspiring the enthusiasm for technological advances that STEM-related work produces; inspiring the confidence in their abilities.

But for Juana Lopez, and many students like her, that confidence wasn’t easy to come by. Moving to the United States from El Salvador at age 5, she began her educational journey at a disadvantage: neither she nor her parents spoke English and her parents had no formal education. “Not having anyone to help me with homework was super tough,” says Juana. “I had to go through first grade twice and I didn’t really feel like I was good in school.”

But those feelings changed the summer before her freshman year of high school when she participated in the Mike Hauser Academy. “The Academy opened my eyes, and that summer I fell in love with science and math and how it challenged me,” she says. “One of my favorite parts of the Academy was seeing the different companies and jobs, especially at Endologix and Medtronic. I really enjoyed talking to the employees, the way they were so passionate about what they did.”

The Academy experience inspired a new-found confidence in Juana. “It changed the way I saw myself,” she says. At Roseland Collegiate Prep, she achieved academic success in math and science, which led to her acceptance in the five-week Stanford Medical Youth Science Program between her Sophomore and Junior year. For the past two years, she’s also been a student mentor at the Mike Hauser Academy, inspiring students with her story, encouraging their curiosity and nurturing their confidence in their abilities and interests.

In the fall of 2019, Juana became the first in her family to attend college. Currently enrolled at Santa Rosa Junior College, she has her near-term sights set on transferring to a University of California, with the ultimate goal of attending medical school.

“My dream career is to be a family medicine physician, to shift the healthcare system by decreasing language barriers and give back to those families who suffer from health disparities,” says Juana. “My father has a chronic illness, and I remember being constantly in and out of the hospital with him. The language barrier made it difficult for him and the doctor to communicate. From that moment, I knew I wanted to be the change.”

We’re excited to see Juana’s accomplishments and can’t wait to see her impact in the future.

Our community’s success is inextricably linked to workers’ skills, and the Mike Hauser Academy is one means for the Chamber to directly and dramatically improve the skills of our future workforce. We thank the numerous sponsors, partners and businesses hosts that contributed to increasing academic achievement, inspiring students to pursue their dreams, and investing in our future through the Mike Hauser Academy.

If your business is in the STEM fields and would like to host a class, take a look at the Partner FAQs and please let us know. For information about hosting or donating to the Mike Hauser Academy, please contact Ananda Sweet at (707) 636-3662.