‘Hey look, Ma, I made it!’
Heather Rodriguez celebrated Purdue Global commencement with her family, who never gave up on her
Heather Rodriguez celebrates her graduation from Purdue Global with her family on Oct. 3. (Purdue Global photo/Kelsey Lefever)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — During Purdue Global’s Oct. 3 commencement, Heather Rodriguez reflected on how her family supported her through her personal journey and comeback.
Rodriguez hated school, dropped out and eventually passed her high school equivalency exam. She faced legal troubles as a young child and mental health challenges. She was a teen mom.
Her mother, Peggy Cain, was smiling and proud of Rodriguez’s academic accomplishment, even the message on her mortarboard: “Hey look, Ma, I made it!
If you had told a younger Rodriguez that she would earn her Bachelor of Science in human services, she would have laughed.
“This moment is for my mom because even though I gave up on myself, she never did,” Rodriguez said.
But her mom knew she could do it.
“Every time we turned around, there was an issue, but I am so proud of her for never giving up on this,” Cain said. “She has struggled some days, but she never stopped. She kept going, and I’m very proud.”
Originally setting out to earn a certificate in youth development, Rodriguez earned her associate degree in human services through Ivy Tech Community College. She kept going, persisting through Purdue Global’s human services program. She’s not only an inspiration to her family, but also to the children she works with at a nonprofit organization where she serves as a mentoring manager.
“I really wanted to be able to be someone that they could look at and say, ‘She did it. If she can doit, then I can do it too.’ I also want my girls to see me make it through.” Her kids are ages 19, 17, 12 and 8.
Her husband, Eric Rodriguez, was at the ceremony with family members cheering her on.
“She’s worked so hard. She’s been working while going to school. She’s had kids. She’s done a lot of good work,” he said.
Her next steps: a master’s degree in social work, all while working with children and families to make sure children have access to mental health resources.
“This is for who I will become because I know that there’s more to me than what I was,” Heather Rodriguez said. “I want people to know that they are more than their mistakes. They are more than a mental health disorder. They are wildly capable of amazing things.”
About Purdue Global
Purdue Global is Purdue’s online university for working adults who have life experience and often some college credits. It offers flexible paths for students to earn an associate, bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree, based on their work experience, military service and previous college credits, no matter where they are in their life journey. Purdue Global is a nonprofit, public university accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and backed by Purdue University. For more information, visit https://www.purdueglobal.edu.