Parents: Terry and Fernando Rodriguez Jr.
Siblings: Nicolas (22), Eliana (20), Mirella (13)
Previous Schools Attended: Homeschooled
College Planning to Attend: The University of Texas at Austin
Planned Major: Plan II, Bachelor of Arts in Music – Emphasis in Music
Post-Undergraduate Plans: Law school
Teachers Who Inspired Your Goals: Juan Pablo Andrade, D.M.A. (piano), Patrick Anderson (piano)
Siblings: Nicolas (22), Eliana (20), Mirella (13)
Previous Schools Attended: Homeschooled
College Planning to Attend: The University of Texas at Austin
Planned Major: Plan II, Bachelor of Arts in Music – Emphasis in Music
Post-Undergraduate Plans: Law school
Teachers Who Inspired Your Goals: Juan Pablo Andrade, D.M.A. (piano), Patrick Anderson (piano)
Inspiration for Academic Success: From a young age, my parents encouraged my love for reading and writing, which developed skills that helped me succeed academically. Growing up homeschooled, my mom emphasized that learning is more important than grades, which I think is a healthy perspective towards academics. More importantly, however, my parents have always taught me to pursue a relationship with Christ above all else. In doing that, I developed the right attitude and work ethic towards school. My relationship with God gives me the strength and desire to pursue excellence in my classes without feeling stressed or overwhelmed, but instead motivated and passionate.
Study Habits: I tend to do my school work during free moments or while waiting at school. Since I enjoy cooking and spending time with my family in the afternoons, any homework I don’t finish at school I do later at night (when I am most productive anyway). Although I used to procrastinate, I learned in my junior year to try and stay up to date with assignments. This helped me prepare better on a day-to-day basis and feel less overwhelmed during testing weeks. A specific study strategy that has helped me a lot when preparing for tests is to create large review whiteboards in order to remember old materials and see the connections between concepts.
Career Plans: To be quite honest, I am still undecided about a specific career post-college or graduate school. However, I know that I want a job that would allow me to make a difference in the lives of others, whether that be through education, public policy, or even international diplomacy. Furthermore, should I be blessed to have children, my desire is to be a stay-at-home mom. The positive impact that my mom has had on me by helping me and my siblings succeed in school, extracurriculars, and all other aspects of life show me the blessing it would be to do that for my own children.
Advice to younger students to succeed academically: While I have always enjoyed school and worked hard in my classes, I think that moving to Los Fresnos during my sophomore year made me more aware of things like ranking. My advice to students is to talk with their counselors often, so that they can take the right classes for whatever career or education they will pursue after high school. Also, don’t be afraid to take a challenging class. When I took AP Physics junior year, the thing that helped me succeed in that class was constantly reaching out to my teacher, Ms. (Misty) Heredia, who gave me so many resources whenever I struggled to grasp a concept. In taking a class that pushed me out of my comfort zone, I grew in an area that was unfamiliar to me. Ultimately, it was a very rewarding experience.