Mario Mendez

Mario Mendez, Community Awareness Accountability & Action Manager/ Senior Field Staff
Wilderness Youth Project, Emerging Leaders Cohort 8

After a childhood marked by movement, from Colombia to Saudi Arabia to the Netherlands and finally to the United States, Mario Mendez would eventually find a home in Santa Barbara and at Wilderness Youth Project (WYP), where he has served for 15 years—his longest-lasting connection to any place. 

Mario’s journey began in his native Colombia, where he earned a business degree and taught English as a second language, before his family fled persecution and landed in Oklahoma.

“I knew when my family left Colombia, that I didn’t want to be inside teaching anymore,” reflected Mario. “What I really wanted was to be outside and with children.” He found this work at Wilderness Outdoor Leadership Foundation in Los Angeles, leading youth on camping trips throughout California.

Although the work was meaningful, the constant travel and changing group dynamic made it challenging for Mario to build lasting connections with his students. However, this experience deepened his passion to become the kind of positive, consistent role model he wished he’d had during his own childhood.

This led Mario to Kidsave, a nonprofit helping older adoptable children find homes. Despite a remarkable success rate, the weight of making life-changing decisions for families without formal social work training led to burnout, and led Mario to Lake Tahoe where he hoped to embrace his inner “ski bum,” but landed a job once again teaching ESL at the city college.

The watershed moment came when Mario joined Wilderness Youth Project (WYP) in Santa Barbara in 2009. What began as a two-week volunteer stint quickly became a career, and he found himself breaking his usual three-year cycle of moving on. Now, with the recently added title as Community Awareness Accountability & Action Manager, Mario is dedicated to supporting and growing BIPOC leaders within WYP and other local organizations. 

Mario said his participation in Emerging Leaders was transformative, helping him recognize his potential impact as a leader of color. “I hadn’t realized how important me showing up was to others of color,” he said. “The work at Emerging Leaders around self-assessment and values and how your community perceives you had a tremendous impact on me.”

“Emerging Leaders allowed me to see my work through a new lens and helped me discover my personal blind spots,” said Mario. “While I knew I was in the right place, the training showed me that I could have an even greater impact within Wilderness Youth. This insight gave me the confidence to advocate for a leadership position where I could amplify my ability to make a difference.”

After nearly five decades of constant movement, Mario has set down roots in Santa Barbara with his wife and their two children. Through nature connection and youth mentorship, Mario has found not just a career but a calling, creating a positive role model for hundreds of children and young adults in our community.