Elijah Mendoza was the first ever recipient of the Maverick Martzen Memorial Scholarship. Elijah was Maverick's basketball coach. He spent his high school weekends helping teach young kids how to play the game that he loved. Elijah loved to watch Maverick play and the two would feed off of each others energy often breaking out into random dance moves after Mav or his team would score or make a good defensive play. After Elijah graduated from Selma High School, he attended the forestry program at Reedley College. There he would learn the skills necessary to become a fire fighter. Elijah continues to give back to this day. He spent many days in the summer of 2020 battling the many wild fires that scorched the state of California. He worked the Coyote fire, Trimmer fire, Hills fire, Coalinga fire, Creek fire, and the Bullfrog fire. We are proud to call Elijah a part of our family. It has been an honor to be a part of his journey. Thank you for your continued efforts to protect this state and to give back Elijah!