Monica Rodriguez came back to college to answer a calling. “It’s one of those things where you always know what you’re going to end up doing, no matter how much you run from it,” the Colorado State University Bachelor of Social Work student said. “I always knew I was going to do social work.”
Finding opportunity
Rodriguez, who is a non-traditional student, left school at age 20 to start a family. Now, returning as a first-generation student and mother of two, Rodriguez said having her own kids was one of the biggest reasons for her to return to school.
“When I had my own kids, that’s when I realized ‘life is hard and things are expensive, if I don’t figure something out, I won’t be able to give my kids a good life,’” she said.
When Rodriguez returned to school, she didn’t imagine herself being very involved outside of class. However, she quickly found a community of support and has been embarking on learning outside the classroom ever since.
McNair Scholar
Rodriguez is a McNair Scholar and has been active working with the Social Work Research Center, a part of the School of Social Work.
The McNair Scholars program helps students from first-generation or underrepresented backgrounds pursue graduate studies. McNair is a national program with a recently revived program at CSU.
“With everything else going on in my life, having two kids and running a household, I wasn’t thinking of being too involved outside of class. But before I knew it, I was involved in McNair and the Social Work Research Center,” she said.
Rodriguez came to the McNair program through a lucky coincidence. While grocery shopping, she ran into an acquaintance who worked at CSU. Rodriguez had known of the McNair Scholars program but didn’t apply because they typically focus on STEM students.
“’They opened it up!’ she told me. At that point the application had closed, and it said I had to be a STEM major on the form, but I applied anyway,” Rodriguez said. “I decided to trust the woman who told me to apply.”
That trust paid off.
“I did an interview, and a few days after that I got the call that I was accepted,” she said.
The McNair Scholars program helps support students by offering mentorship, graduate school application support, funding, internship placement, and more.
Rodriguez described being accepted into the McNair program as a “profoundly encouraging and positive moment.”
“The McNair staff have been instrumental in consistently pushing me beyond my limits by challenging me in research, education, and extracurricular involvement,” she said.
Learning the research process
Rodriguez got connected with CSU’s Social Work Research Center via the McNair program. There, she was introduced to the research process and conducted her own literature review on the effectiveness of trust-based relational interventions for children.
“It pushed me way out of my comfort zone,” she said. “Research isn’t something I saw myself doing, but when I was able to get a glimpse of what SWRC does, I grew to appreciate the work they do and how they support communities around Colorado. It opened my eyes to other things I might want to do in the future.”
Rodriguez says the support from McNair and her work with SWRC are setting her up for success as she takes more macro and research classes in the coming academic year. “All of this is opening my eyes to how macro work is necessary and effective for bringing about large changes,” she said.
Choosing social work
Rodriguez says she’s always known social work was her calling.
She drew inspiration from social workers she encountered through her own life experiences. “I wanted to be the social worker that makes change, who gives a child a voice when they don’t have one, to give kids a chance,” she said.
After having been out of educational spaces, Rodriguez has regained her footing. “A lot of things have come back to me,” she said. Rodriguez has developed an interest in working with children with complex trauma.
“I’ve always had that passion and that heart to give a child a chance. I’ve always had that desire to work with children. And now as a mom, I think that desire has grown even stronger,” she said.
The deeper Rodriguez gets into social work, the more she likes it. “There is so much I can do with this degree. I can work in policy; I can work in micro settings. I continue to love it more and more as I learn,” she said.
The biggest lesson for Rodriguez on her journey back to school has been to embrace discomfort.
“I’ve learned it’s so important to be uncomfortable to learn and to grow,” she said. “That’s one of the things I’ve learned in this McNair process because I tend to keep to myself and my close family. But I’ve learned connections are important for your growth and learning.”
Becoming a social worker
After finishing her degree, Rodriguez plans to work towards becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker so she can work with children with complex histories of trauma.
“I am eagerly awaiting being able to say I’m a social worker,” she said. “There’s so much pride and joy in that sentence because both I and those close to me know the challenges I’ve overcome – navigating life as a non-traditional latine/x student with children.”
Rodriguez hopes her future career can bridge the gap between research and real-world implementation of interventions.
The School of Social Work is part of CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.
