Mendez wins $5,000 Padre Scholarship

Carlos Mendez, a 12-year-old seventh-grader at Potter Junior High and a student in the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program, has won a $5,000 San Diego Padres Scholarship. The money will be reserved in a college fund. Mendez had to excel in both written and oral portions of the test in order to win. The seventh-grader, who is articulate and confident, attributes his success to hard work. He didn’t even learn to speak English until he was 7 years of age but is now fluent in both Spanish and English.

His future plans include studying technical engineering and then working in t...