Mr. Joseph Rodriguez was born in New York City and was raised in northern New Jersey. His parents migrated to the United States from Puerto Rico when they were teenagers. He moved to the Philadelphia area after his sisters moved there a few years prior.
Mr. Rodriguez's relationship with Norristown began more than 16 years ago when he was the Director of Admissions and Records at Montgomery County Community College. He would host high school seminars for students that helped them explore future careers and higher education opportunities. From there, he joined Norristown Area School District as an English Language teacher before becoming Assistant Principal at Eisenhower Science and Technology Leadership Academy.
Being a Hispanic leader in the district has provided Mr. Rodriguez with some advantages when it comes to interaction with students and families. There were two main advantages he mentioned, “Looking like my students and sharing a language with them.” These things have provided opportunities to connect with students in a different and meaningful way. He said that it is so important for students to see that
“there are people who look like you, sound like you, speak like you that have accomplished [great] things.”
This year's theme for Hispanic Heritage Month is “prosperity, power and progress.” Mr. Rodriguez emphasized the incredible importance and advantage of being bilingual, or even trilingual. Mr. Rodriguez said,
“we want our students to have this; this is absolutely a power.”
With that power can come prosperity because of the opportunities to take advantage of fields that are lacking in representation and bilingual communication.
Mr. Rodriguez and his family take time during Hispanic Heritage Month to reflect both on themselves and their family. He mentioned the lineage of teachers and educators in his family including himself, his sister, his niece, his cousin, and now his daughter. He said that it is important to him and his family to
“honor those that came before [them].”
While they may not have outward celebrations, they take extra time to self-reflect and remember their heritage.