Melissa Rodriguez

Melissa is an Undergraduate Admissions Counselor at Caltech. In her role, she focuses on DEI outreach and programming, particularly related to small town and rural recruitment. She currently oversees Caltech's involvement in the STARS College Network. She is also the "extremely online" AO and moderator on the admitted students' Discord server.

Melissa was born and raised in the Greater Los Angeles area. As a first-generation graduate, she is passionate about education and mentorship, and hopes to be a useful tool for students navigating their academic journey. Melissa has previous experience as an adjunct professor, a higher education fellow to Congresswoman Nanette Barragan, and a consultant in the college prep and curriculum design field. She received her master's degree in education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and undergraduate degrees in philosophy and the humanities from CSU Fullerton. When she's not sharing her enthusiasm for learning and admissions, she is exploring LA, eating sushi, or petting a dog somewhere.

Lightening Round

1. What is your hidden talent? Encyclopedic knowledge of "The Simpsons".
2. Who is your favorite musical artist? Very tough! Right now, probably Kali Uchis.
3. What is your guilty pleasure? Bravo TV.
4. What was your dream job as a kid? Lottery winner (it still is!).
5. What is your zodiac sign and which characteristic do you most relate with? Gemini (don't hate!). I relate most with our love of words and communication, and our intellectual curiosity.

Territories

• Alaska, California (South Bay, South & South Central LA, Long Beach, Whittier, Orange County, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ontario, San Diego County), Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming