Ask anyone who knows her, and they’ll tell you Veronica is equal parts kind-hearted and fiercely driven. A proud UCLA alum, she began her career in entertainment and EdTech before pursuing her MBA at the University of Notre Dame. Now a law student at UC Law San Francisco, Veronica is carving out an exciting legal career.

Veronica isn’t just a hard worker, though; she’s also one of the sweetest people that I’ve ever met. Her generosity and loyalty to those she cares about speak to her giving, thoughtful nature. A lifelong animal lover, she’ll always hold a special place in her heart for her dog, Boss. With a heart full of compassion, a mind made for challenge, and a future with limitless potential, Veronica is an inspiration to me and everyone else lucky enough to know her.

By Gage Vernon

Two California girls navigating the Midwest in South Bend is where it all started. No one could have predicted that the treacherous cold would lead to such a warm, fun, and forever-binding friendship. What began as two sunshine-loving strangers quickly turned into a dynamic duo ready to take on anything at Notre Dame. Tailgates, wine club nights, marketing classes, club leadership, and business ventures (just to name a few) were how these two became best friends. They survived group projects, celebrated wins with wine in hand, and always had each other’s backs—especially when winter made them question all their life choices. Beyond campus adventures, what brought them closer was their love for travel. From water rafting in North Carolina (and getting thrown out of the raft) to butchering the lyrics of “Hips Don’t Lie” in Mexico, laughs and good times were always shared. Through every milestone, their friendship continues to grow stronger.

I met Veronica when I first joined the HOOLIGAN Theatre Company at UCLA, and I’ll never forget how immediately seen and welcomed she made me feel. Since then, our friendship has taken us from spontaneous trips to Malibu to wandering New York City and exploring Berlin—each chapter marked by laughter, crazy career pivots, and a shared sense of adventure.What I cherish most, though, is how our connection has deepened across time and distance. Whether we were just blocks apart or oceans away, Veronica has remained a constant—grounded, luminous, and full of heart.Watching her step into this next chapter with Gage has been a joy. I’m so excited and honored to stand beside her and witness the beginning of this beautiful new chapter.

Some of my most cherished memories with Veronica come from the quiet stillness of lockdown. While the world felt paused, we were side by side at work—planning for the future, chasing our dreams, and encouraging each other through it all. After long days of studying, one of my favorite rituals was walking her dog Boss through UCLA’s campus. Boss had a flair for the dramatic—he’d plop down mid-walk so passersby could admire him and have the honor of petting him. That alone was a sight to see—but the real kicker was watching Veronica, this tiny but determined human, thinking she was leading Boss (when really, he was leading her—and no one was moving until his say-so). I admired how patient she was with him, letting him take his time, encouraging him to be himself. That exemplifies the kind of friend Veronica is—thoughtful, supportive, and quietly powerful. I feel lucky to have been there during those times that eventually led her down the path to meeting Gage and discovering her true passion in life.

V has always had aura. I’ve known since we first met, when I saw the Veronica twinkles in her eyes. She is a beautiful, endlessly loving person, with whom I’ve had years of true friendship. We celebrate our birthdays together—we’re a week apart. We coincidentally always move to the same part of the country in the same year. She showed me how to make a vision board. It’s been three years, and I have to tell you, they work. Would it have come true if she hadn’t first suggested it? That’s the kind of friend V is: thoughtful, generous, loyal, as smart and hilarious as they come, and relentlessly ambitious for her friends’ dreams as well as her own. I’ve found how important it is to have friends not only to grow up with, but who help raise each other. I’m so happy to see her find true love. Cheers to Veronica and Gage, 2025.

My friendship with Veronica is undeniably one of the dearest and most precious friendships in my life—a gift that truly keeps on giving. Our paths first crossed at UCLA, where our passion for the arts and the noble pursuit of theater club party planning brought us together. But it didn’t take long for me to realize I had found someone truly special in Veronica. She has been to me a constant source of joy, laughter, warmth, and unconditional kindness—a deeply loving and present friend even in the most difficult times. As roommates, we survived a global pandemic, the unrelenting advertisements of Bertolucci’s Pizza Truck, and the adorable antics of a certain Samoyed who would (and did) eat a sock to get attention. As travel companions, we’ve sipped mojitos on the coast of Portugal and spontaneously traversed California without a care. As best friends, we’ve built a bond that holds us close despite being half a world apart—the kind of friendship that fills you with pride, deep gratitude, and excitement for the memories to come! Love ya V!!

Meet my golden retriever fiancé, Gage. Navigating our mid-twenties together has been nothing short of an adventure. From traveling the world, to planning romantic date nights, to listening to all my woes about law school, to then choosing to pivot careers into law (what an overachiever!), and all the small moments in between, Gage exudes main character energy. His ambition and curiosity for life spark engaging and thought-provoking conversations, and his loyalty and reliability are completely unwavering. At a moment’s notice, Gage will always be there. He has a way of lighting up a room with his infectious energy, and he’s easily the most well-liked person to work a crowd. Through it all, Gage has been my constant, my rock, and my best friend. I cannot wait to keep living life large with you!

By Veronica Louise Mendoza

My friendship with Gage has lasted far too long and goes too deep for me to properly express it in writing. However, Gage has spent years having his apartment taken over every Saturday in the fall. When all he wanted to do was sleep in after a long week, and before he went to Notre Dame and actually had a team to watch, Gage spent from dawn to dusk watching exceedingly mediocre college football with me. If someone can sit through a bad Stanford-Oregon State game at 4 PM, they’re family.

He is, has been and shall remain to be, my best friend.

When we were kids, my house and Gage’s house were connected by a little path through the woods. Some of my best memories from childhood are of walking down that path to and from each other’s homes. We’d jump on the trampoline or play video games. Over the years, we transitioned from walking the path to riding our bikes through the neighborhood and then from biking to driving. Eventually, our adventures moved further from home, down south for Big Sur camping and Santa Barbara shenanigans and up north for skiing in the Sierras and road-tripping on the Oregon coast. Usually with a good portion of the rest of the guys along as well. We’ve all been buds since at least elementary school. If we’ve put up with each other for this long, I’m sure we’ll be friends for the rest of our lives.

I first met Gage in the second grade; he was the new kid who boarded the school bus two stops after me. This meant that we lived close to one another, allowing me to either get off at his stop or walk over to his house while growing up. I have many fond memories of our childhood, such as building bean bag forts on the stairs leading to his bedroom, jumping on the trampoline before rushing to the hot tub, staying up late playing video games, and mistakenly skiing down a black diamond slope in Tahoe. As we grew older, many of our friends moved away from the Bay Area, but Gage returned, and I felt that our friendship deepened even further. Although I didn’t grow up with any brothers, I can confidently say that he is like a brother to me and one of my closest friends.

As with anyone you’ve known basically your entire life, my friendship with Gage has been many things over many years. Our interests, goals, and passions have been in constant flux the entire time we’ve known each other, but through that time, he’s always remained one of my closest friends. I look back to when we were kids, and my parents thought he was a bad influence on me. That couldn’t be further from the truth, and slowly, over the years, my parents began to realize how lucky I was to have a friend like him. Generally, I was the one causing trouble, and he was always there to talk me out of especially stupid ideas, which meant for a long time he’s unfairly taken the blame for so many of my crimes. Through it all, he has always had my back.

While I may struggle to find the perfect words to describe our friendship, what I do know definitively is that he’ll always be a true brother.

Gage and I have known each other since the summer before second grade. Unfortunately for him, he couldn’t get rid of me, and we became fast friends and brothers. Nearly 24 years later, we are as close as ever.
Time hasn’t weakened our bond by any measure, and we still goof around like two children at summer camp.

After relaying Gage’s engagement to my mother, she told me about a time from when we were young when Gage had told her, “I’m never getting married, I just want to live with Will!” Well, as you can see, that didn’t pan out. But as his backup plan, I can wholeheartedly say that Gage will make an excellent husband and life partner to Veronica through his devotion to those he loves, his strength of character, and his drive to work toward a better tomorrow for himself and those around him.