Leading By Example

Luis Mendes ’25 has always liked having a busy schedule. In high school, he wrestled, ran track and worked 25 hours a week. When he first came to Stonehill, though, he was hesitant to spread himself too thin. “I wanted to concentrate on my grades and get comfortable in this new environment,” he recalls. “But then my schedule felt empty. I told myself that I had to get more involved.” So that’s just what he did.

Now, the finance major and data analytics minor is the junior class president, a student employee in the Office of Admission and a member of the Finance Management Association.

Understanding the importance of nurturing the mind, body and spirit, Mendes makes time to work out in the Sports Complex and often plays pickup basketball. On Sundays, he sometimes travels home to Framingham to pray the Rosary with his family, or he heads to 7 p.m. Mass in the Chapel of Mary. “Going to Mass here has helped my spirituality," says Mendes. "It makes me feel comfortable."

With senior year on the horizon, Mendes plans to pursue a career in financial advising, and his course work is leading the way. "Corporate Finance and Investments have been my most challenging classes so far, and I'm thankful for it," he says. "I learned how to evaluate and analyze a stock and how to do projected financial modeling. I found it all so interesting."

Mendes is equally focused on honing his leadership skills. “Growing up, I went to the Ron Burton Training Village, a leadership-building camp,” says Mendes. “When I came to Stonehill, my resident associate was Tahj Valentine ’22. He was president of Stonehill’s Student Government Association (SGA), and he encouraged me to run for a position.” Mendes is now in his second year serving as his class president.

“People think that leading is talking, but I’ve learned that it is listening,” he says. “When everyone’s voice is heard, that’s when things start moving.” 

Mendes was particularly honored when the College asked him to serve on the 75th anniversary planning committee. “It has been really special to me to represent the student body on this committee,” he says. “When you think about Stonehill’s mission of leading with heart, it’s thinking about the person. You have to make sure everyone’s okay—that’s what it means. You have to lead with love.”