2021 Marlowe Sherwood Memorial Service Award

This award is presented to Park University alumni in recognition of volunteer service to community and/or civic organizations. The award is named in honor of Marlowe Sherwood, 1963 graduate, who exemplified the school motto of Fides et Labor (Faith and Labor).

Carneysha Mendoza, ’16, has known for as long as she can remember that she is called to protect and serve.

“I always wanted to be a cop,” she said. What she didn’t want to be — at least, not in her earlier years — was a student. “I didn’t like school. I didn’t know how to study, and with every report card, I was in trouble. I never felt like an intelligent person. There was a lot of pressure to get good grades, but I struggled.”

Just say no…and eventually, yes

An early mentor, Paul Wilkey, helped turn Mendoza’s school experience around.

“Officer Wilkey was a resource officer at my school. He would ask the horse he rode, ‘What do you say to drugs?’ The horse would shake his head, ‘No.’ It left an impression on me,” she said. “He noticed I was interested in his law enforcement career, so he made me a role model in the

D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program and stayed in touch with me over the years.”

Still, Mendoza felt pulled to say no to something besides drugs: college. As her high school graduation loomed near, the Festus, Mo., native believed military service to be the best next step.

“I saw the commercials for the U.S. Army — ‘Be all that you can be’ — and that’s what I wanted to do.”

Mendoza enlisted at age 17 and immediately set goals for her military career. When an opportunity to become an Army officer came about, an old obstacle reappeared. She needed college to be eligible to pursue it.

This time, Mendoza met the challenge head on. She began taking classes at Park University’s Fort Myer (Va.) Campus.

“I chose Park because it was based in Missouri — my home state — but the University really had an advantage. Park was one of only a few universities offering online classes back then,” she said. “It took 12 years to earn my degree one class at a time. It was hard and I didn’t get much sleep, but I learned a lot about managing my time, and became a much better writer, thanks to Park.”

Take care of the troops

Mendoza has been a member of the U.S. Capitol Police for 19 years. She serves as a captain in the special operations division, where her duties include acting as the commander of the civil disturbance unit. She was present for the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, serving on the frontlines and sustaining chemical burns and a skin infection as a result.

“I kept telling those who were on duty that day to go and decontaminate,” she said, “but later realized I hadn’t deconned myself. My leadership style is military style — you take care of the troops first.”

In February, Mendoza was the initial speaker at the U.S. Senate Rules and Administration Committee and the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee joint oversight hearing on security failures during the attack. Her bravery and courageous actions hailed her as a true hero.

Although her job is high-profile and very demanding, Mendoza, the mom of two sons, ages 22 and 11, also finds the time to give back to her community by volunteering with nonprofit organizations. Over the years, she has served as a big sister through Big Brothers Big Sisters, and has worked as a mentor to single moms through Young Life in the Washington, D.C., area.

“I am big on teamwork and support. Unity is important to me,” Mendoza said. “I recently saw a quote on social media, and I’ve adopted it as my own mantra: ‘In a world where you can be anything, be kind.’”