When Jocelyn Rodriguez learned that the administrative assistant position at Menlo had opened after Courtney Tyler stepped into the role of Assistant Director of Student Belonging, she knew she had to apply. Her colleague at her old school, Assistant Director of Family Support Fatima Taungahihifo, also now part of Menlo staff, encouraged her to apply for the position.
Rodriguez worked at ACE Esperanza Middle School, a San Jose charter school focused on kids having a difficult time in public schools, before coming to Menlo. “I learned a lot about myself teaching there because you have to be tougher to deal with some of the behaviors we experienced on a daily basis,” Rodriguez said.
“At my previous school, I had to speak Spanish a lot because we had a high number of Hispanic or LatinX parents that were part of the school,” Rodriguez said. Rodriguez was born in Mexico and immigrated to the U.S. at four months old, becoming a U.S. citizen in 2020 via a drive-by swearing-in ceremony due to the COVID-19 shutdowns.
After a few years at ACE Esperanza, Rodriguez was promoted to assistant principal, but shortly after sought out a new position for the sake of her mental health. “I wanted to find a role where I was going to be happy still doing a bit of what I was doing before, so when I heard about the administrative assistant position [at Menlo], I applied,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez was a psychology major in college and had aspirations of becoming a marriage and family therapist. However, after one of her professors told her an urban myth about how prisons determine the number of beds to add to the facility based on how many children fail third grade, Rodriguez did her own research and learned that many incarcerated people can’t read above a fourth-grade level.
“That was a wake-up call that I should be in education because kids need good teachers,” Rodriguez said.
Menlo’s environment stood out to Rodriguez immediately when she came to campus for the first time. “When I came for an in-person interview, I noticed that everyone smiled. The teachers and staff want to work here,” she said. “I walked away thinking, ‘there’s something in the Kool-Aid here.’”
Rodriguez’s day begins with checking the student life email, including messages about tardies and absences from parents. From 8:45 a.m. to 9:15 a.m., she manages all tardies for students coming in late to school. Throughout the day, she helps organize faculty meetings and manages all of the technology for them. “The job is very task-oriented. I love checklists because of the satisfaction of crossing something off your list,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez is also a co-advocate for a group of freshmen. “It’s really cool to mentor kids from freshman to senior year,” she said. “I’m excited to work with kids that I’ll get to see walk across the [graduation] stage one day.”
Looking ahead, Rodriguez outlined what she hopes to build in her role at Menlo. “A goal is to become more trusted among the staff,” she said. “I think when you’re new, everyone wonders how [you] work, so I want them to know they can trust me and [that] I will get my work done.”
Reflecting on her transition to Menlo, Rodriguez noted the difference she’s felt since joining the school. “Menlo makes me re-love being in an educational setting,” Rodriguez said. “I know this sounds really silly to say, but I’ve never been thanked so much in my life by kids.”
