We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Patricia Mendez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Patricia, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
I feel like my confidence and self-esteem started to develop once I was in college. It wasn’t until I was in nursing school that I felt confident enough to go out for modeling; It started with local photographers and then grew into me working with local brands. I honestly feel that the statement, “fake it until you make it,” holds true. I would quiet my nerves with positive statements about myself and ultimately, the negative self talk began to disappear. I always encourage others to talk positively about themselves because the more they do it, they’ll believe what they’re saying.
Please tell our readers about what you do, what you feel is most exciting or special about it, as well as anything else you’d like folks to know about your brand/art/etc. If relevant, please also tell our readers about anything new (events, product/service launches, expansion, etc)
I took the road less traveled when it came to schooling because nursing schools are so competitive and difficult to get into. In San Diego, community colleges are the most cost-efficient for nursing programs; private colleges rarely had a wait-list when I was applying, but they are very expensive. However, my hard work and dedication got me into a community college nursing program after almost 6 years of pre-requisite courses (due to my work schedule and life’s hurdles). When I was in my first semester of the program, I was drowning in self-doubt and imposter syndrome. I knew I needed an outlet for my creativity and to keep my sanity, so I revisited the idea of modeling that I had since I was a little girl. Luckily, the community of models and photographers that I encountered within San Diego were welcoming. Everyone I crossed paths with was very encouraging and I grew very quickly into the person you see in these images. My greatest joy now is caring for my patients and comforting their families, while also continuing to produce and be a part of others’ artistic visions.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The 3 qualities that were most impactful on this journey of mine to get through nursing school and improve as a model were: resilience, integrity, and adaptability. For anyone starting on their new life journey, I would recommend developing resilience by remembering the end goal and continuing your hard work until you get there.
Integrity means so much to me because you remain honest, there is no room for being fake, and sticking to your word. If I was ever running late to a shoot, I would immediately notify the production team, then give it my all at the shoot. If I did poorly on a test, I would set everything aside and study for hours until I knew I had put in the work – and pass.
Finally, adapting is the main thing I’ve always excelled at. Whether it was in school, life, modeling – I could adapt to what I needed to do to get through the tough times. I think that this one may be difficult for people to master, but if you can be open to different outcomes or different paths to get you to the outcome you’ve always wanted, you can be adaptable too.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
I have recently started reading again and the book that I feel helped fuel my curiosity and pride within myself has been Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey. It really made me question my path, but solidified my choices and made me feel like I was exactly where I want to be.
Contact Info:
- Website: patriciamendez.onuniverse.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/_pattymodels
Image Credits
In order of uploads @jmlakl – photographer @midwclothing – photography & clothing designer @jeffb.photos – photographer Wedding gown from @windsomebrides and @katharinauribephoto – photographer @marcusrecasner – photographer @k_digitals – photographer @shotsbysimpson – photographer @mpmg_portraits – photographer
