HEYENNE (Tribune News Service) — The practice of sharing her blessings and lending a helping hand has been instilled in Melissa Mendez since early childhood.

As a military kid, she also witnessed the sacrifices her father made while on active duty.

“I was born in the Philippines,” Mendez said. “My dad was stationed overseas, and when my mom came here to this country, (she) only had my dad and still wanted to help others.”

That family trait of kindness followed Mendez into her career as a first sergeant with the 153rd Security Forces Squadron in the Wyoming Air National Guard and Wyoming National Guard Integrated Primary Prevention Workforce (IPPW) specialist.

Mendez’s role as an IPPW specialist is focused on addressing issues before they escalate and creating a positive environment for service members across the state.

On Tuesday, it was announced that Mendez was one of three IPPW specialists nationally to be selected as Integrator of the Year for “creating warrior culture in the Cowboy Guard.”

“Knowing that Wyoming, as a small state, has the ability to stand out and rise above brings a level of pride to the entire team and motivates all of us to keep doing great things,” Cowboy Guard integrated primary prevention manager Kristin Malone said in a news release. “We will never be the largest state in the room, but we can lead the way.”

“I definitely prefer to do things because they’re the right things to do,” Mendez told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. “The recognition is great, don’t get me wrong, but it was all the things that I did to try to make those changes.”

As a citizen airman, Mendez balances military and community. In her prevention role, she uses data to identify what struggles service members may be facing.

She has analyzed mental health, financial stress and relationship challenges, and collaborated with legacy programs like suicide prevention and sexual assault prevention and response. This ensures that the proper resources reach those who need them most, according to a news release from the Wyoming Air National Guard.

“When they’re going through the storm, if somebody can help be that lighthouse, that is sometimes all that they need to help them figure out how they can get above water,” Mendez said.

Following reported high levels of financial stress, Mendez coordinated with local financial advisers to provide targeted workshops, which was greatly appreciated by service members, according to the release.

“Melissa continues to grow and excel in her leadership role,” Malone said. “She is constantly helping others, guiding conversations and projects, and leading the way. The leadership she demonstrates doesn’t stop with the IPPW, but extends to her role as a 1st Shirt (first sergeant) in the WYANG.”

Mendez’s ability to connect with people and turn data into actionable solutions is unmatched, Malone said, though Mendez is more humble about her accomplishments.

For Mendez, the biggest thing is hope and resilience. She hopes others see this award and are motivated to look at where they can help in their communities.

“Hope and motivation, I guess, just to be better people, better for themselves, for everybody around them,” Mendez said. “Support everybody. Sometimes it just takes kindness to change somebody’s life.”

Her leadership led to the distribution of more than $61,000 worth of gun locks and lock boxes, expanding suicide prevention efforts across the state.

Additionally, she “spearheaded the alignment of the Wyoming Military Department with the Governor’s Challenge initiatives, ensuring strategic coordination to bolster lethal-means safety and resilience programs,” according to the press release.

“Seeing the risk factors go down and the protective factors go up, that would be amazing,” Mendez said. “I know that this is a marathon, and when they read the award, I was like, ‘I did all those things?’ I just thought I was doing my job.”

Even early in her career as an airman, she was able to help people when they were at their lowest.

“I’ve had people reach out years later and say, you know, some little tidbit of information that I mentioned to them stuck with them, resonated with them for years,” Mendez said. “I think that’s what keeps me going.”

Knowing how the stigma around being a soldier or an airman can push service members to “tough it out,” rather than reach out for help, Mendez has done her best to be an understanding ear.

Mendez’s impact has extended beyond meaningful interpersonal conversation. She also implemented the first Wyoming IPPW Care Team Meeting, bringing together 15 different stakeholders to improve interagency collaboration.

She developed a helping agency resource matrix to assist approximately 3,000 Guard members in navigating work-life challenges and preventing crises.

“Wyoming is a large state with a small population,” Mendez said. “That makes it even more important to build strong networks and ensure no one falls through the cracks.”

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