Local student wins major grant

“Starting at a young age, at 18, I worked for my first non-profit at the Coalition for the Homeless in New York and I was a camp counselor,” he said. “That was the first opening of my eyes to a bigger world than myself. So, working in these shelters for five years has allowed me to see more of myself in them, and knowing there is so much out, the much injustice, so much suffering and people in need I wanted to know more I wanted to dive deep and help others.”

Mr. Rodriguez said he was just trying to find a summer job. But instead, the Kingsbridge native found a calling. 

After working with the Coalition for the Homeless, he moved on to work for a program called All-Stars New York, a theater program for underprivileged youths.  It was there, Mr. Rodriguez realized he wanted to turn his passion for working with the poor and with the less-fortunate into a career.

“I guess through the phases of my life I have been involved in helping people in one way or another,” he said. “Then [I] just kind of molded myself into a whole new career and social work kind of fit that mold.”

The 24-year-old graduate of In-Tech Academy then went on to earn a degree in sociology at the City University of New York, and now is one of 31 recipients of a $2.5 million grant from the federal government’s Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students program. 

“Starting out grad school, one of the things that most people think about, including myself, is ‘well how am I going to pay for this’” Mr. Rodriguez said of the award. “Just finding the scholarship was available and that I got accepted and got the scholarship was overwhelming, it’s like, now I don’t have to worry about that financial burden once I graduate, I can pour myself into the academics and focus on what I want to do when I get into social work.”

He will use the grant, which pays up to $21,000 per student during the 2016-17 academic year, to earn his master’s degree in social work at Touro College. 

“With regard to social work, a lot of people ask ‘why social work? Why is this so important,’ Mr. Rodriguez said. “I think most people’s answer is ‘I want to help.’ But me, I love helping people, but also there’s an area that helps me learn about myself.”

The northwest Bronx native said he wanted to understand how those who had not had the same kinds of experiences as him see the world, in addition to helping them.

“We can sometimes be closed to the outside world and what’s really going on with people in their lives and that exposure really helps me grow a person,” he said. “Seeing people from different backgrounds, populations, different disadvantages, advantages, and learning about these outside worlds really fascinates me.”

Part of what made Mr. Rodriguez so interested in helping others was his Kingsbridge upbringing, he said, noting he had a string system of support his entire life.

“There’s a lot of neighborhoods in the Bronx that don’t have the best reputations but I grew up with a wholesome group,” he said. “I had a really good support system, I was always encouraged to do the best that I can.   I never thought that I would be doing social work, but the things I was doing at that time I was heavily encouraged … If it wasn’t for that help and support from my family and friends I don’t think I would be where I am today and it all started with where I was in the Bronx.”

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated Christian Rodriguez's last name.