My name is Guillermo Rodríguez. I am originally from Ciudad Juárez, México, but I lived most of my life in El Paso, Texas.
From a very young age, my parents stressed the importance of education and encouraged me to pursue my educational goals. As a result, I had the opportunity to select from several out-of-town universities to continue my education after high school. It was difficult to leave my family and home for a place I had never been, but I finally decided to go to University of Notre Dame in Indiana.
Although attending college was a life-changing experience, it was not an easy transition for me. I began my college experience as a pre-med science major, but I quickly learned that a medical career was not for me. I soon became frustrated and discouraged about my future; however, an excellent academic adviser guided me to new opportunities that I had never considered. Sitting around and drinking coffee with her, I discovered my passion for my culture and history.
In 1998, I graduated from Notre Dame with a degree in history and Spanish. It was a great milestone in my family as I was the first to attend and graduate from college, and it paved the way for my younger brothers and sister to do the same. After graduation, I was uncertain about what I was going to do next. I returned to El Paso, where I looked for opportunities to give back to my community. I soon began to work at the local community college tutoring students in reading and writing while I pursued graduate studies in history.
As a writing tutor, I had the opportunity to work closely with students from many different backgrounds, and I appreciated the effort that each of them continuously put in to reach their goals. I quickly became hooked on helping students achieve their goals, and I began to pursue a career that would allow me to do this full time. This passion to help students has brought me to University of Houston–Clear Lake as an academic transfer adviser.
