Weighing in at 6 pounds 5.6 ounces and measuring 19.5 inches long, I was born on a Saturday at Swedish Medical Center to mother Audrey Mendoza (née Purganan) and father Dennis Mendoza. In the days leading up to my birth, my parents still couldn't decide what to name me. After various Google searches (e.g. Zara, Ava, Violet, Mia) and ensuring appropriate respect to elders, they finally settled on the name Zarielle.

Initially, the inspiration behind my name came from the name Zuriel, meaning strength of God in Hebrew, to follow the strength in the meanings of my Mama's and Grandpa's names (Audrey = noble strength; Oscar = divine strength). Then when converted to its feminine form, Zurielle, Papa had a thought to change it slightly to Zarielle to honor his father (my Daddy-Lo), Elizar. Et voila - my name was born. As it turned out, Zarielle also had Hebrew origins and its meaning was very befitting to my personality.

I was and am very fortunate to have been born into a family of very caring people. As a baby, I didn’t like to be with or held by anybody except for my Mama and Papa and would never leave their side. I was quite the cranky baby and picky about who would take care of me. My childhood was filled with watching Studio Ghibli movies (specifically My Neighbor Totoro), watching the Sprout channel with my Mommy-la and Daddy-lo, and listening to artists like Katy Perry and Bruno Mars religiously. From an early age I was enrolled in playing in a soccer program for toddlers called Little Kickers and that began to grow my passion for soccer; I continued to play it in high school. I grew up in suburban Burien, but while my parents were working and Manang Auni was at school, I would often be dropped off at Columbian Way with my Mommy-la and Daddy-lo. I would only eat adobo sauce and rice whenever I went there or the turon that Daddy-lo would make every so often. If I wasn’t being babysat in Columbian Way, I would be at my Grandma and Grandpa’s house where they would always give me plastic balloons to mess around with. I would watch Ip Man with Grandpa while he gave me a whole box of Cheez-Itz. Because I was born the day before Halloween, every year I would have a costume/Halloween party and my Mama would decorate the 829 house with cobwebs, a singing skeleton, and a plethora of pumpkins. Although I was (and am) a very clumsy, irritable, and messy child, my family never gave me any reason to believe I wasn’t capable of always accomplishing more in life and I am forever grateful.

My years at Mount Rainier High School were the most crucial of times that helped shape me to be the woman I am today. I revolved my life around studying late after soccer practice in the fall and preparing myself for what college life would bring me. Aside from the educational aspects of my high school career, I made sure to spend plenty of time with my friends. We would grab boba during school hours and live the teenage dream I’ve always wanted. While I wasn’t fond of my school to begin with, the friends I had made it worth while. Freshman through sophomore year I was in junior varsity soccer and although it was simply JV, it fueled my passion to stay active and I created lasting friendships with my teammates. Despite the pandemic cutting off my sophomore year and hindering my junior year, I remained close to my dearest of friends and even improved said relationships along the way. Junior and senior year I was enrolled in my school’s Running Start program at Highline College, but remained in my French courses at Mount Rainier. That single high school class increased my passion for a completely different culture/language, building my aspirations to study global affairs.