Humans of LPHS: Mrs. Mendez-Engel

“When I was thirteen, my father passed away. He came from Puerto Rico. He didn’t know any English and barely completed eighth grade. When he arrived in America, he had to teach himself everything. He worked hard for himself. I got that willpower from him. I always feel like I have to learn something myself. I can’t wait for somebody to teach me, so when he passed away, I lost all of that willpower. My grades dropped, and I just felt that school was a nuisance. When I found art, though, my brain clicked back into place. Art was my savior. I realized from there I wanted to be an art teacher. I wanted to be able to show people what the joys of art can do.”