Alfredo Rodriguez

Student

“They have wonderful people at Project Heavy West, and I think I basically tapped into every program they offer.”

Alfredo Rodriguez sees buildings—lots of buildings—in his future. “I’ve wanted to be an architect since the 11th grade,” he recalls. “My dad was building his retirement home, in his home state in Mexico, and it turned me on because the architect was really good. I enjoyed seeing his plans and watching that home go up.” Alfredo plans to transfer to Berkeley or Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to become an architect. “Basically, what I’d like to do is work in the U.S. and invest in Mexico,” he says. “I’d like to be involved in building a resort, a shopping center or maybe try to build some affordable housing.” But of all the buildings in his imagination, perhaps none loom as large as the Mar Vista Gardens “project” he came to know as an SMC Summer Intern working with Project Heavy West.

“I worked with ages three and a half to high school,” reports Alfredo. “My duties ranged from being a friend to the little ones to being a counselor to the older ones. I was also tutoring, playing games, talking about drugs and gangs, and how kids can further themselves by staying in school and helping their own community. And just by seeing all these kids, I really got to appreciate all the difficulties they’re going through.”

“Kids that grow up around gangs and drugs are not so easy to reach,” says Alfredo. “But I told them, ‘Okay. You got in trouble at school. But you’re not the only one. I did that myself but I corrected that, and now I’m going in a whole new direction, and it’s gotten me this far.’ But I never tried to pressure them,” Alfredo continues. “I never told them that if they don’t go to college, they’ll be a nobody. I just said ‘Finish high school, go to a trade school, get yourself a good job. But whatever you do, just make sure you’re good at something.’”

Back