Today we’d like to introduce you to Anya Rodriguez.
Anya, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My journey started way back in 2010, when I decided to migrate to San Diego Ca, looking for new professional opportunities.
Ive worked in private consultation as a Psychologist for 10 years in Tijuana Mexico, mainly serving children and families. I was happy back then but not how I feel now. Since then, I knew that I wanted to serve the community, I discovered that, when I completed my professional practice at the Juvenile Hall in Tijuana. Realizing, that serving and supporting underserved communities was my passion.
To give my first step, I decided to enroll to Child Development Classes at Southwestern College to practice my conversational English skills, to be honest, that was one of my biggest challenge, being able to think and communicate in English.
I started eagerly searching for job Opportunities in the Psychology field, and I found out, that they were limited in San Diego, unless you had a LMFT or a Social worker License.
At time, my baby was born, and I did not had the extra time to pursue my state of California license, that is one of mi mid term goals, my priority was vie g a mom and providing to my son.
I decide to follow my childhood dream, being a teacher. I started working with toddlers and preschool age children, it was great being in the field, because it provided me with lots of experience and created connections.
After no more than 4 months serving as a teacher, I was lucky that my supervisor valued my expertise and talent, and she encourage me to apply for provider case manager for a family child care program, within the same non-profit company “Chicano Federation”. I was stepping up professionally and being able to monitor many family childcare centers and coaching daycare providers to succeed in their business was very full filling. I was now serving the community. Meanwhile, when I was completing my foreign degrees validation, I jumped from being a Southwestern College student to a Faculty at the same place, in the discipline of Child Development, the same Professor that was in charge of completing my validation, reviewed my foreign degrees (BA in Psychology and a master in children Psychotherapy), Dr. Sandra Corona, whom I consider my Professional Godmother and role model, offered me to work as a Child Development Professor at SWC. I started working with ESL learning communities, then extended to teach Child Development English courses as well.
I was grateful and amazed that whatever time invested in education was finally worth it. I said yes right away to Drs. Corona job
Offer, with fears inside myself because I knew that at the end of the road, I will need to teach in English and push myself the more I could to be able also to serve as a Role Model to other migrant students whom English is not their first language.
This December will be my 16th year teaching at SWC in higher education, and I can just say thanks, because this is, what I want to do for the rest of my life. I really feel appreciated by diverse learning communities, especially the Hispanic ones.
Along with my faculty position, I decide to move on and try a different field with Neighborhood House Association another nonprofit organization. I switched from being a Provider Case Manager for the Family Child Care program, to work with Services for Expectant Families as a Prenatal Home Visitor, SEF is a nonprofit program, that provides comprehensive services to Pregnant Families, empowering them to have more informed and healthy birth outcomes. We also provide Community resources to our families along with mental health support.
Being in that field requested me to study again for prenatal educator, birth and postpartum Doula and lactation specialist. Serving pregnant moms, has been also my passion since then.
My call was always teaching and serving the community from my hearth and expertise, and I can say proudly, I achieved that.
I had a huge compromise with my SWC students also, and I’ve noticed among Faculty, it was very important not only to have a master’s degree, I noticed there was a lot of Doctors in Educational field, that’s why, in 2013, I enrolled in a Doctoral Degree in Education, graduating in 2018, and completing my dissertation and a postdoctoral degree in 2023, it was a rocky road, probably the greatest challenge in my professional life.
This past May, I received my foreign degree validation for my Doctoral Degree. This last week, as a proud Hispanic, I was walking two students during commencement ceremony at SWC, and I felt very nostalgic and proud of myself, my inner voice always told me, Si se puede!!.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Being a single mom and having two jobs at the same time was not simple. I used to cross the border daily and have reduced time with my son Abel, a lot of sacrifices were done. I felt I lost a lot of his childhood in this madness of living across the border. In 2026, I decide to move to San Diego with my son, i had some savings and my income taxes, and I bought an RV that proudly used to be our home at the beginning of our journey for 2 years. I am not ashamed where I lived and where I come from, that helped me by being humble and really relating and connecting with the community I worked with. I was just one more immigrant living the California Dream too. I quit the Doctoral degree for a year, because I felt overwhelmed, but my parents provided me with a strong support, and I was able to finish my doctorate. Now I can say, I am the first generation in my family obtaining a degree of this nature.
Being an educated Hispanic Woman in some work contexts can be hard as well, it’s been hard to gain peoples respect, specially where Latinos are a minority. But I’ve been lucky to be valued where I currently work, and I took those bad work experiences as an opportunity to build resilience.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am well known in San Diego Community for two things:
1)My work as a Child Development Instructor at Southwestern College (Specially working in the Spanish to English Associate teacher certificate for almost 16 years to current). Offering Education and mentorship to students to find a decent job in San Diego in the educational field), my work goes beyond the classroom, my best pay is when I see my students thriving in the work field.
2)My work as a Prenatal Educator with Services for expectant families where I provide my free Prenatal education and case management services to San Diego Community Families. Hispanas en San Diego FB group, has been a boost and a crucial support since pandemic, to be able to offer my services and serve SD community. I provide prenatal education (Birth doula. postpartum Doula) and lactation support (Lactation specialist). During my case management, I support families to reach their personal and professional goals to and enhance their parenting skills and self-sufficiency
I feel very proud of myself, because even I fear when new things come, I don’t stop, I go for it, being able to share with the community in a deep and meaningful way really fulfills my hearth and also being recommended by my students and families I served, they don’t just see the professional, they see a helping hand that supports them.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
San Diego Community can work with me by referring me new clients thru Facebook mainly or inviting me to give a class or workshop to spread out the voice about the important services I offer to the community.
Contact Info:
- Website: agrodriguez@neighborhoodhouse.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/guadalupeochoa12?mibextid=wwXIfr&mibextid=wwXIfr
- LinkedIn: http:/linkedin.com/in/anya-rodriguez-ed-d-05828a268
