Through Latinx advocacy, Erica has been able to form meaningful bonds that she hopes will last a lifetime

Escrito por: Milvian Gonzalez 🇬🇹🇧🇿

Headshot of Erica Rodriguez. (Ashley Neyra)

When Erica Rodriguez first entered college, she noticed the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on many people's mental health, influencing her to study psychology. 

While she found the classes interesting, she realized that she did not want a career in this field. Como hija mayor en una casa mexicana y puertorriqueña, siempre había asumido un papel de cuidado.

Wanting to channel this nurturing side of herself into a meaningful career, Rodriguez decided she would instead apply to nursing school after completing her bachelor's degree. 

During her first two years at UMD, Rodriguez had wanted to find a club to help develop her leadership skills but found it hard to do so as a commuter student. 

Eventually she decided she would set aside time her junior year to become more involved on campus. Upon doing some research, she came across a student-led non-profit formerly known as Latina Pathways. As she became more involved, her conviction in the mission of the group grew. 

“I’ve grown to not just think that it’s something on my resume, but it’s something that I’m passionate about,” said Rodriguez.

After becoming secretary of Latina Pathways during the spring semester of her junior year, Rodriguez grew to care so much about education advocacy for Latinos that she decided to run for president of the organization’s successor, the Latino Empowerment and Opportunity Network (L.E.O.N.).

Aunque siempre supo de dónde vinieron sus padres, Rodriguez nunca se sintió lo suficientemente latina después de haber vivido durante muchos años en el condado de Charles County en Maryland, donde la mayoría de la población es blanca. 

“Growing up, I wanted to be more American… and not necessarily wanting to do anything with my Mexican-Puerto Rican culture,” she said.

Working in Latina Pathways allowed Rodriguez to appreciate her Latino culture through witnessing their strong work ethic and perseverance as they navigate a social system that was not built for them.

Pero el liderazgo nunca es fácil, and often Rodriguez felt the weight of the serious time commitment being president of the non-profit demanded of her.

“I started off the presidency trying to present myself as a servant leader, and I recognize that most of the time I should not be doing that in the type of organization that I’m in,” she said.

Rodriguez said balancing between being a supportive leader but also being someone who set boundaries was one of the hardest parts of the job. 

One of her biggest support systems during her time adjusting to being a key leader within the Latinx population on campus has been her boyfriend, who has always been there to help out when Rodriguez feels overwhelmed.

Overall, Rodriguez looks back fondly at her experiences working with the Latino community. She enjoyed meeting many great, like-minded people and hopes that she can continue these friendships for a lifetime.