Perla Rodriguez ’01
June 16, 2023
Perla Rodriguez ’01, senior director of education programs for the , is on list for a second year as one of New York’s most influential college and university
leaders. City & State is a media outlet that covers local and state politics and policy
across New York state.
“The work we do at the Hispanic Federation is so important and impactful,� Rodriguez says. “I am proud to be part of a team that works so hard and accomplishes so much to uplift our Latino communities.�
Rodriguez, who grew up in a large Dominican family in the Bronx, double majored in English and Spanish at ߣ¶ÌÊÓÆµ. She taught English at a Bronx high school while pursuing a master’s degree in secondary English education through the New York City Teaching Fellows program.
Rodriguez also earned an MFA degree in creative writing with a concentration in children’s writing at The New School. “I was always passionate about reading and writing, but I never saw myself in the writers and literature I studied so extensively,� she says.
Her literary aspirations grew when she began looking for books for her children. “I wanted to write for my kids, the kids I taught in the South Bronx, and the little kid in me who didn’t have main characters who looked like me,� she says.
“Growing up in the Bronx and then teaching high school, I saw so many students, friends, and family members defeated by our inequitable education system. I always knew it was my purpose to work to make things better,� Rodriguez adds. “There is still so much work to be done — in today’s political climate even more so — and I am proud to work for an organization that recognizes this and keeps pushing for change.�