Hard work pays off for future educator
Student of the Week: Mairaly A. Rodriguez
“Just remember to enjoy this journey as a student and continue working hard towards what you wish to accomplish. All your hard work and dedication will pay off. Always remember that!”
For Mairaly Rodriguez, South Texas College not only supported her academic goals, it gave her a compatible and stimulating social environment to enable her to reach her career goals.
Mairaly said she was able to take college courses while attending Roma High School, and obtained a substitute certificate before graduating. She began at STC in 2017, and graduated with an Associates of Arts in Teaching in May 2019.
She then decided to further her education and work on a bachelor’s degree, and is currently working on a Bachelor of Applied Science in Organizational Leadership (BASOL).
“Becoming a teacher has always been my dream job. Being able to take this STC course in high school made me realize that pursuing a degree in Education was the best for me,” Mairaly said. “My hard work and dedication gave me the opportunity to be part of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and graduate with honors.”
The Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Leadership is the first competency-based bachelor's degree from a Texas public institution that enables students to receive college credit for courses they have already taken and developed through work and life.
The degree focuses on skills that will help prepare students for a position of leadership in business, government, non-profit, or educational organizations. The upper division courses enable students to solve real-world business problems and demonstrate new skills through a final project that will be part of their portfolio for future opportunities.
Mairaly said she took her first course in June 2020 and will complete all her courses by December 2020. The enthusiastic feeling of graduating with an associate degree with honors, made her work even harder to keep her GPA above average and once again graduate with honors when she receives her Bachelor’s Degree.
She plans to enter a career as a teacher once she finishes school.
“To me, STC has been and will always be the ideal place to begin my college education,” Mairaly said. “From the first time I visited STC, I was able to talk to advisors, counselors and staff members, and they made me feel at home.
“Just remember to enjoy this journey as a student and continue working hard towards what you wish to accomplish. All your hard work and dedication will pay off. Always remember that!”