Welcome to our first Alumni Spotlight of the 2022- 2023 school year: Stephanie Mendoza Vargas, Class of 2012. Stephanie, who studied Law at Andes University and has a master’s of Law in Intellectual Property Law from the University of California, currently holds the position of Intellectual Property and Commercial Associate Counsel at TikTok in Los Angeles, California.
We had the chance to talk to Stephanie about her career choices and her time at KCP.
How has your KCP experience impacted your life and the choices you have made in your career?
The KCP experience gave me the tools I needed in order to become a successful professional. I think there’s no denying that the level of English (native) with which we graduate from KCP is a privilege that helps us succeed in this global world we live in. As an attorney working in the U.S., having a high level of English has been crucial and has allowed me to become a better negotiator and to be able to work in international companies such as Tik Tok.
Every time I get asked why my English is so good, I say that I graduated from KCP.
What advice would you give to KCP students who would like to follow a similar career path as yours?
I´ve always been the type of person that doesn’t necessarily follow the traditional path but create her own. This is not only evident in my current role at Tik Tok where I have curated to do the things that I am not only passionate about but also good at, it is also noticeable throughout my years at KCP where I was one of the first people to be a part of MUN and was even part of the creation of one of the first Model United Nations hosted our school. So my advice to anyone still in school who wants to follow my career path in Law or any other career path is to take advantage of all of the opportunities KCP offers you. Whether it is pursuing a new club or a new passion that has not yet been created at KCP or taking advantage of the multiple AP courses that will help you excel in the long run in your career, the point is, that you don’t have to be a part of the mold, you can break it and our school helps us do that.
What are some of the best memories from your time at KCP?
One of the best memories I have of my time at KCP is just being around my friends. Whenever I meet someone new, I always tell them that I studied in the same school from nursery to senior year and they always tell me how lucky I am to have had that opportunity and I truly believe so. The fact that I graduated with 40 people which I consider family and with who I shared 16 years of my life, has no price and is definitely the best thing KCP ever gave me.
What makes you proud to be a member of the KCP family?
What makes me proud to be a part of KCP is the amazing network of alumni, teachers, and students that we have. There are so many talented and incredible people that graduated or are about to graduate from KCP.
Once a tiger, always a tiger!
