Closing Hispanic Heritage Month: What This Recognition Means
Today is the last day of Hispanic Heritage Month, and I’m reflecting on something that happened in September that I’m still processing. My face was on a bus. Not an advertisement, but recognition. This Hispanic Heritage Month recognition from Palm Tran honored me as one of eight community leaders, and my portrait traveled through Palm Beach County alongside other leaders in our community.
I’ll be honest. When they told me, I didn’t know what to feel.
I.Q. Constructions, Inc. has been building across South Florida since 2002. We’ve done our work quietly, project after project. But being recognized publicly for it? That’s different.
Construction is not an easy industry to lead, especially as a woman. Especially as an immigrant woman. I had to navigate licensing, build relationships, prove myself on every job. I had to show up and deliver, consistently, until people stopped questioning whether I belonged here.
What struck me about being on that bus is what it means beyond me. When young people see a woman running a construction company and being recognized by their community, it changes what feels possible for them. It shows them a path. It says immigrant women belong in these spaces.
This recognition from Palm Tran matters because they chose to spotlight community leaders. They saw us. They valued what we contribute.
As Hispanic Heritage Month closes today, I want to say this clearly: the work of building doesn’t stop after October 15. It continues every single day through the businesses we run, the people we employ, and the way we show up in our communities.
We belong here.
Claudia Mendoza