Hispanic Heritage Month Spotlight: Leading with Purpose

Hispanic Heritage Month, running from September 15 to October 15, is an opportunity to recognize the history, cultures, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino communities while celebrating the people whose leadership helps shape a more inclusive future. At UMass Global, that commitment is reflected in staff members and students who carry forward values of resilience, service, education, and family in their work and lives.

This year, UMass Global recognizes Sonia Gutierrez-Mendoza, associate vice chancellor of student services, and Victoria Vildosola, UMass Global graduate and Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership candidate. Their stories are distinct yet connected by a shared belief in the power of education to create opportunities for individuals, families, and communities. 

Sonia Gutierrez-Mendoza: Expanding access through service

A third-generation Southern Californian and Chicana, Sonia Gutierrez-Mendoza traces her family’s roots to ancestors who came to the United States from Mexico in the early 1900s. Across generations, her family passed on values of faith, culture, education, hard work, and service to others, values that continue to guide her leadership today. 

Gutierrez-Mendoza has dedicated nearly 30 years to serving students and families in higher education. Her experience includes roles at the University of La Verne, Mount St. Mary’s University, Claremont Graduate University, and UMass Global, where she has served since 2009 in a range of leadership positions. She currently serves as associate vice chancellor of student services. 

Throughout her UMass Global career, Gutierrez-Mendoza has worked to expand access to higher education for non-traditional students. She understands that empowering an adult learner elevates not just the individual, but their family and community.

Her service extends beyond higher education. For more than a decade, Gutierrez-Mendoza and her family have volunteered through Harvesting Hope, a community initiative developed by her husband and his students. Volunteers collect unused fruit from local residents and growers, then donate fresh produce to a local food bank in Tulare County, California. The program has provided more than 500,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables to people experiencing food insecurity and hunger. 

Gutierrez-Mendoza also volunteers with the Tulare Assembly Center Memorial Committee, which seeks to create a monument honoring the more than 5,000 Japanese Americans incarcerated at the Tulare County Fairgrounds during World War II. Her community leadership has included service with education, workforce, and nonprofit organizations, as well as leadership with the Tulare County Hispanic Leadership Network, which named her Educator of the Year in 2023. 

In all that she does, her core values are straightforward and non-negotiable; she authentically seeks to help others in any capacity and any setting. Her north star is this: “Will you use the power you have to do what you say you believe?”

Victoria Vildosola: Creating opportunity for the next generation

For Victoria Vildosola, Hispanic heritage is inseparable from the values she lives each day: family, hard work, resilience, and caring for others. Those values have shaped her educational path, her leadership approach, and the example she hopes to set for her children. 

A wife, mother, first-generation college graduate, and retail leader, Vildosola returned to school as an adult learner. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration, followed by a master’s degree in organizational leadership, and is now pursuing her Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership at UMass Global. Each milestone represents both a personal accomplishment and a testament to the support and perseverance behind her journey. 

Vildosola has spent nearly two decades growing her career in grocery retail and currently serves as a store manager at Stater Bros. Markets. In her role, she values the opportunity to invest in people, help them recognize their potential, and support their growth. She’s particularly proud to represent Hispanic women in leadership and to model what’s possible for people who may not often see themselves reflected in leadership positions. 

Family is at the center of everything she does. Her husband has been an important source of support as she balances full-time work, parenting, and doctoral study. Her children remain central to her motivation: She wants them to see the value of working hard for their goals and to know that they can create opportunities for themselves.

Hispanic Heritage Month is meaningful to her because it gives her an opportunity to celebrate where she comes from, recognize the sacrifices and hard work that helped shape her, and think about the example she’s leaving the next generation. 

Building a legacy of leadership

The stories of Gutierrez-Mendoza and Vildosola demonstrate that leadership takes many forms. It may mean making higher education more accessible, strengthening a community through service, mentoring colleagues, pursuing a long-desired degree, or showing the next generation that their aspirations matter.

During Hispanic Heritage Month, UMass Global honors the heritage, experiences, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino members of its community.