It鈥檚 been quite a journey for Wanda Rodriguez to get to where she is now.
And she hasn鈥檛 got plans to stop anytime soon.
Rodriguez is currently in the process of purchasing her first house. In January, she will enroll at Rutgers-Newark to pursue a master鈥檚 degree in social work鈥攁 goal that she鈥檚 been pursuing, but has eluded her, for a few years.听 Her classes will begin in January of 2016.
鈥淚f you really want to pursue something, it鈥檚 a matter of determination,鈥� said Rodriguez, 32.
She鈥檚 come a long way since first walking through the doors of 91看片 in 2004.
Martina Lopez-Nunez has known Rodriguez for years and first met her when she signed up for English classes at what鈥檚 now called the NCC Adult Learning Center, where Lopez-Nunez is the program coordinator.
The two women struck up a conversation that eventually grew into a mentorship relationship, according to Rodriguez.
In addition to the English for Speakers of Other Languages class, Rodriguez enrolled in a computer course at the center. She was hungry to gain skills and better her circumstances, having moved to New Jersey from the Dominican Republic just two years earlier.
Equipped through the ESOL class, Rodriguez enrolled at Essex County College, where she earned an associate鈥檚 degree in early childhood education. Next, she went to Rutgers-Newark to earn her bachelor鈥檚 degree in social work.
However, it wasn鈥檛 an easy road, Rodriguez acknowledged. She juggled three jobs to support herself, taking on gigs like cleaning bathrooms in a municipal building or working at fast food joints, and recalled riding a bicycle to her various responsibilities for several months.
But over time her career progressed, step by step. After landing jobs in early childhood education, Rodriguez was hired to oversee student social work cases at Eastside High School in Paterson. Most recently, she was selected to become director of the high school鈥檚 daycare center.
鈥淚 see a lot of families that need support,鈥� Rodriguez said, noting that her current role bridges her passion for the classroom with her interest in social work.
For Lopez-Nunez, Rodriguez鈥檚 educational and career path over the last 11 years is a testament to the Adult Learning Center鈥檚 role in helping to build lives and launch careers.
鈥淭hat is very satisfying,鈥� Lopez-Nunez said of serving as a mentor figure and witnessing Rodriguez鈥檚 progress.
For Rodriguez, the message she said she鈥檇 like to impart on young people who find themselves in a similar situation is this: don鈥檛 give up.
鈥淚 try to give them the message (that) you can do whatever you want to do,鈥� she said adding, 鈥淚t鈥檚 a matter of hard work.鈥�