Bistra Mendiola

EARLY LIFE

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Bistra was born in Bulgaria to a family of Bulgarian cultural teachers and ambassador parents. 

In her adolescence, Bistra spent her first seven years under the care of her grandparents deep in the countryside, due to her mother and father's tight schedule as performing artists and dance educators. This is where she learned the value of self-sustainability by growing and producing your own fresh and nutritious foods. "There's nothing more delicious in this world than a freshly picked fruit or veggie, right from the stem!", she says. Bistra witnessed the villagers tending to hundreds of goats, sheep, and cows in the Balkan mountains. She saw how they worked together as a small community and helped each other in times of need. Her grandparents produced crops and eggs themselves but often traded services with the village neighbors for other produce. Her grandmother was a seamstress and her grandfather was a skilled mason.

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"My fondest memories are there, in the mountains. Running up and down the hills, getting muddy, playing with the animals, and just soaking up the gorgeous forest views. I never got sick when I was there, so that was a plus!"

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EDUCATION

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Bistra returned to her birth city to enroll in elementary school and studied in an institution that focused on foreign languages, history, and arts. After eighth grade, she decided to pursue a trade school education and enrolled in a Garment and Textile Tech High school, where she followed her grandparent's advice: being a skilled worker pays off!

After graduation, she enrolled in Law School and finished three years of studies. Law School was expensive, so Bistra had to work and traveled between semesters to pay for her education. Her passion for the performing arts, passed onto her by her parents, launched her career as a traveling artist. On one of those trips, Bistra had the opportunity to get a contract as a performer on Guam. 

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"Although I didn't graduate Law School, the years spent there have helped me tremendously in my work career throughout the years, and I know that it will be to our advantage, as a Legislator".

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FAMILY

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While working in Guam, Bistra met her husband Theseus Mendiola, a colleague at the Sand Castle in Tumon. They married in 1999 and spent years of their marriage in overcoming the obstacles in life that any young family has: working two jobs, paying the rent, and saving for their first home. After the birth of their first son, Bistra had to stay home and raise a baby on one income. Daycare was out of reach and adapting to a new career was difficult. But Bistra didn't give up trying to balance motherhood and ensuring that she was an equal contributor to the family budget. When a job opportunity arose, she embraced it, but the ultimate goal was independence and financial security by owning a small business. 

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ENTREPRENEURSHIP

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Bistra started pursuing her long-time dream of becoming an entrepreneur, so she did everything possible to learn how to start a business in Guam and attended training sessions at the SBDS. In 2017, Bistra and her husband Theseus saw an opportunity in the local vape industry and decided to open their first retail store in Tamuning. Their dream was finally becoming a reality, but financing a new start-up was tough, especially in this retail sector. They risked it all by refinancing their home and using that equity to achieve their goal of owning their small business.

Their focus on the customer's needs, lowering prices by finding new products, new supplier sources, and marketing innovation paid off. In the following three years, they opened additional two stores in Mangilao and Dededo.

Another passion of the Mendiola family is farming. They grow numerous fruits and veggies and to provide fresh food for their kids. Bistra loves canning the garden produce and making yogurt at home, continuing her ancestor's traditions.

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"My husband and I are a true team, we are not only life partners, but also business partners. It is more difficult than you can imagine. I wake up every morning in the "conference room", all while the kids are getting ready for school. But it's worth it! My two sons are learning from us how to work hard for your bread, and how to be independent thinkers. When you are self -employed there is no clock-out, you are living, breathing, and dreaming about your work. "Why would anyone want this"? you may ask. Because the sky is the limit when it comes to what you can achieve! And it is up to you, not your boss"

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WHY SHE IS RUNNING FOR A SENATOR?

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" As a mother, I know what lowering the cost of living on our island means to us. It is a humanitarian issue! It is a matter of "Do I buy food for my kids, or do I pay the bills?". I will fight on all fronts to ensure that our Government does all things possible to provide the so-needed relief at the grocery store, gas pump, and pharmacy.

 

Another great concern in our community is the need for sanitary and safe schools. If a business needs a sanitary permit, proving that the establishment is safe, then why not mandate the same for the buildings that our kids spend most of their time in? In addition, safer villages, and a new hospital are a must to ensure the future well-being of all. 

 

I will support bills that address all of these concerns.

 

I will also introduce bills that reduce the need to import foods, by inspiring and supporting the younger generation of farmers, so that we all ensure our self-reliance when it comes to the island's food security. I believe that our human ancestors were smart and knew much better than us by passing down the ancient knowledge of tending to this Earth as her keepers and protectors.

 

I will also focus on promoting access to small business capital and training for all local producer entrepreneurs. We need to diversify our economy, if we want to have a stable government budget that will support all vital services to our people. Our island survival relies on this simple, and yet hardly discussed issue. We need to not only acknowledge this, but we need to act and move forward today! Because tomorrow will be too late."

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                                                                                         Bistra Mendiola

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