She is a recent graduate of Knox College, where she majored in political science with a double minor in journalism and Chinese language. Mendoza has worked in various newsrooms and production companies as a photographer, videographer, writer, graphic designer, and production assistant. Most notably, she worked as editor-in-chief of The Knox Student, the oldest known college newspaper in Illinois. During her time with The Knox Student, Mendoza was awarded First Place in Multimedia Reporting by the Illinois Collegiate Press Association.