Ada Shin ‘25
During Mr. Rodriguez’s high school years, he did not think deeply about the importance of education. Now, he’s joining St. Andrew’s as the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Belonging, supporting students to belong and grow in a school community.
“In the environment that I was growing up in, I didn’t really see education as a value,” said Mr. Rodriguez, “I just knew that education existed, but without purpose.”
From this experience, Mr. Rodriguez decided that he wanted to support others in their education journey. He started working as a student engagement associate and assistant director of diversity at McDaniel College, before moving on to be an assistant director at the Friends School of Baltimore for three years.
Mr. Rodriguez says his main role in our school is to support students and families as they enter our community, specifically those who are a part of marginalized groups.
“I want to uplift the marginalized community,” Mr. Rodriguez said. “Helping them have a voice, making sure they feel a sense of belonging, and making St. Andrew’s their second home.”
Mr. Rodriguez’s job also includes aiding in professional development opportunities for his colleagues and supporting the St. Andrew’s DEB team.
Aside from his work, Mr. Rodriguez loves to watch and play sports.
“I love to play basketball,” he said, “I love sports in general, and I probably know more sports terminology than I should.”
Mr. Rodriguez has also worked as a music writer, with one of his songs appearing on the radio for a few days.
“I’ve loved writing music since I was in high school. I was just never really passionate about it,” he said.
After working with a South African artist on a song, the song was played for three days straight on the radio, granting exposure to the artist. To this day, the song is featured on South African radio and was tagged in an Instagram post by a TV show, Generations: The Legacy.
Unfortunately, Mr. Rodriguez will not disclose the name of the song. “That, I will not expose,” he said. “I always allow folks to do their own research and try to find it.”
Lastly, despite all the work that Mr. Rodriguez does every day, he refuses to drink coffee. “Coffee is disgusting,” he said. “I don’t drink coffee … Tea, I don’t mind, it has a smooth taste and I will drink it if I’m sick. But I will never drink coffee in my life.”