Laurie Mendoza:
CLASS OF 1978
Greely High SchoolClass of 1978
Cumberland center, ME
University of Detroit - MercyClass of 1982
Detroit, MI
Reading Memorial High SchoolClass of 1978
Reading, MA
Capitol Page High SchoolClass of 1978
Washington, DC
Eaton Elementary SchoolClass of 1972
Reading, MA
Laurie's Story
Life
After doing a lot of moving around as a teen and young adult, I've ended up in Massachusetts, quite close to where I started. I ended up going to three different high schools (in Reading, Maine, and Washington, DC), two colleges (Smith and University of Detroit), and two grad schools (Univ. of Detroit and Northeastern). I managed to get my Master's and CAGS in School Psychology and---after stints (of employment!) at the Middlesex County Jail and House of Correction and a couple of non-profit human service agencies, I ended up as an elementary school adjustment counselor in Salem, MA. I'm one of those fortunate people who really loves her job; I get to talk to and play with kids all day and get paid reasonably well for it.
I got married in Detroit in 1985 to a guy originally from Guatemala. After dating guys six-foot-six and taller in college, it was quite a change to be with someone with the same size feet as me (and, those of you from Smith will be amused to note, whose first language is Spanish). Unfortunately we separated in April 2006, a few months after our 20th anniversary. We have four kids. Matt, 21, just finished his junior year at Amherst College (despite---or perhaps because of---my negative experience with everything Amherst when I was at Smith). Emma, 18, has one semester left at Newburyport H.S. She is very artistic and loves photography, dance, and music. Amalia, 14, is going into high school and is a serious dancer. Isabel, 8, my little commuting buddy, rides to school with me and attends third grade at Carlton School in Salem. T...Expand for more
hey're really great kids, and I'm so lucky to have them.
Other stuff... I have a second job for a livery company, driving people to the airport often at 4 a.m. I get to talk to grown-ups, and it helps pay the heating bill. Before the arrival of Isabel I used to do some creative writing, and had a number of humor columns published in local and regional papers. Since she's been born though, I'm finding myself quite short on time (and the sense of humor isn't quite what it used to be either). I do have far-off plans to someday get back to writing and maybe apply myself to it a little more seriously. I like to knit and read and (of course) eat. We go to church at my old church in Reading; it's kind of neat to go somewhere where a lot of the older people remember me as a kid, and where I can sometimes get news of friends from elementary school and junior high. I've moved around so much, there aren't many places where that's true. Fortunately, my family is all living within a few miles of me now, so we get to do all kinds of extended family stuff together.
Anyway, I'm writing this with the hope that I can hear from or about old friends from the past. Lately I often find that some name or incident from 20 or 30 years ago will suddenly pop into my head, and I wonder what ever happened to all those people I used to know. Maybe it's weird, but it makes me sad to think that I may have lost so many friends and acquaintances forever. I'd love to hear from anyone I used to know.
Best to all of you,
Laurie (Parker) Mendoza
a.k.a. "Pinky" or "Spaz"
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