Climbing Your Way Through the Trees, Literally, with Climbing Arborist, Kayla Mendez

In this episode of The Way to College Podcast, Dr. Jose Saldivar sits down with Kayla Mendez, a climbing arborist and business owner based in San Antonio, Texas. Kayla shares how an unexpected entrepreneurship class during her final semester of college helped shift how she saw her future and opened her mind to building something of her own.Their conversation explores uncertainty, entrepreneurship, comparison, persistence, and the pressure young people feel to have everything figured out early. Kayla speaks honestly about choosing an unconventional path, building a business through setbacks, and learning to follow curiosity rather than other people’s expectations.This episode is a powerful reminder that success does not always follow a straight line — and that sometimes the most unexpected opportunities can shape your future in the biggest ways.In this episode, we discuss:Why you do not have to have your life figured out at 18How unexpected opportunities can lead to meaningful workThe realities of entrepreneurship and starting from scratchWhy curiosity, openness, and persistence matterWhat students can learn from unconventional career journeys