Fatima Mejia: 'I just love being in the office helping kids'

Fatima Mejia

School Nurse (LVN)

La Mesa School, Monte Vista School, Walter Colton Middle School, Monterey High

In the eyes of an elementary school student, the life of a school nurse is all about giving ice packs. In the first 20 minutes of interviewing with Fatima Mejia, she handed out three ice packs to students with “boo boos.”

Beyond providing tender loving care and ice packs, Fatima plays a major role to support students, parents and staff with their medical needs. Prior to COVID, this included assessing allergies, checking on medical conditions, coordinating paperwork and collecting immunization records. A large part of her job is simply building relationships with students, parents and staff.

“I just love being in the office helping kids,” says Fatima. “Helping them when they get hurt or when they are not feeling well, and having the conversation and connection with parents.”

Fatima has been with the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District for five years at multiple schools around the district in Marina, Monterey and Seaside. Today she serves La Mesa School, Monte Vista School, Monterey High School and Walter Colton Middle School as the school nurse. She is even a product of MPUSD and graduated from Monterey High School before pursuing her LVN at Hartnell College.

Prior to working at MPUSD, she worked in both a nursing home and convalescent home. “This has been the best job I’ve had working at a school,” she says. “I especially love seeing the kids grow.” She lights up when she talks about seeing former students in middle or high school, and loves asking them how they are doing.

She sees one of the important pieces of her role is talking to students and reassuring them they are safe at school. “When I was growing up I had some medical conditions and I want to help other kids going through the same thing,” she says.

Fatima was interviewed while at La Mesa School, and she says, “The staff is amazing. It's like a family here. It’s a good feeling and the principal is amazing. The communication with parents is also good, as well. “What I love is the diverse, different languages,” she says.

When she is not busy tending to students, she enjoys spending time with her family. A resident of Marina, Fatima, her husband and two kids enjoy going out for drives, trips to Big Sur, playing at the beach or shopping.