[Photo] At 17, Mendoza navigates life without her father after losing him to COVID-19 Caleb Goss, Visual Content Editor in Chief • February 2, 2021 September 19, 2017 Mendoza's father was granted citizenship by the U.S.
![Mendoza (center) takes picture with father (left) and her mother (right). “I am extremely grateful for my dad, because he really did sacrifice a lot. And, you know, he still made time for his kids. And he still made time for his wife. And he still made time for his grandkids, even when he was in a lot of pain. And even if part of him [thought] 'maybe I should just give up,' he didn't,” Mendoza said.](https://hhsmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/IMG_0288-e1612314737826-900x619.jpg)