Today we’d like to introduce you to Josue Rodriguez.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Hey there!
I am Josue S. Rodriguez (he/him pronouns). My story is a bit of a whirlwind. I am originally from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, but I moved to the United States at the age of eight. I grew up in Southwest Houston near Hillcroft and Gulfton. My visitor visa expired shortly after arriving, and I became undocumented along with my family. It was not until my senior year of high school that I obtained a work permit thanks to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
During high school, I was fortunate to have been involved in a culinary arts program. I applied to the University of Houston’s Hilton College, but unfortunately was not accepted. Regardless, I managed to land a job as a dishwasher at Pappas Bros. Steakhouse a few days after my high school graduation. Before I knew it, I was working as a line cook.
The time came to renew my DACA, which happens every two years. The renewal process was, and continues to be, a bit complex. A few friends of mine who also had DACA decided to hire an attorney to review their paperwork, but, unfortunately, I did not have the funds. Therefore, I signed up for a paralegal program at Houston Community College (HCC). I quickly realized that working as a full-time cook and going to school full time was very, very difficult. I made the difficult choice to switch career paths and pursue a college education, though I stayed within the hospitality industry as I worked my way through school.
I was fortunate to be accepted into the HCC Honors College. I cannot describe how meaningful and impactful they were in my academic journey. As a DACA recipient, I am unable to take out federal student loans. Therefore, I needed to find other ways to afford an undergraduate degree. Thankfully, the HCC Honors College had a partnership with the University of St. Thomas-Houston (UST). I figured out which honor societies I needed to join and what GPA I needed to obtain in order to earn a full ride at UST through private scholarships and grants. The reality of higher education for DACA and mixed-status students is that we often have better opportunities to obtain private scholarships and/or grants at private universities rather than public ones.
In 2017, I began my journey at UST, where I double-majored in political science and international studies. Around that time, I started working with law firms and nonprofit organizations. I landed a role as Texas Organizing Coordinator with Young Invincibles (YI), a national nonprofit organization focused on amplifying the voices of young adults in the political process and expanding economic opportunities for them.
Needless to say, I fell in love with the work! I was fortunate to lead youth leadership programs, drive YI’s policy priorities, and provide health/financial literacy trainings to various community centers. Shortly after completing my undergraduate degree, I began working as an Engagement Manager at the Texas Network of Youth Services (TNOYS). There I developed a youth leadership program and expanded TNOYS’ partnerships with other youth-serving providers.
While I loved the work I was doing, any nonprofit professional can explain how the sector can be mentally and emotionally taxing. I had been working for nonprofits for more than six years. Further, I had started a Master of Public Policy and Administration (MPPA) at UST. That being said, I made the difficult decision to switch gears and move to the private sector. I began a new role as an Account Executive at KGBTexas Communications. At KGBTexas, I lead public affairs projects such as community engagement strategies, communication plans, stakeholder analysis, policy briefings, and other outreach efforts. I collaborate with a variety of public, private, and nonprofit clients such as the Harris County Flood Control District, Houston Airport System, Harris County Toll Road Authority, Salvation Army, and San Antonio Water System, among others. One of my primary responsibilities is supporting communications efforts for the Harris County Flood Control District across 12+ watersheds in the region, including outreach around more than $4.5 billion in flood risk reduction projects.
The next step in my journey will be law school. I am in the process of studying for the LSAT and hope to attend law school in the future. Unfortunately, I am faced with a familiar scenario: I cannot take out student loans and need to figure out how to pay my way through law school. Thankfully there are few part-time law school programs available. Nonetheless, I remain undeterred as I pursue my overarching professional goal: to continue to expand my advocacy, legal, and policy skills so that I can ensure clients not only partake in the legislative process, but do so while engaging key stakeholders and communicating strategically and confidently.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My professional and academic journey has been a bit of a rollercoaster. As I mentioned earlier, I am not able to use federal student loans to pay for school, which was a blessing and a curse. Regardless, I did manage to pay my way through school. In fact, I am currently still paying my way through my MPPA. However, it has not been without its drawbacks, from constantly burning myself out, to being stressed out 24/7. Nonetheless, as the saying goes: “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” As a first-generation college graduate, and a soon-to-be first-generation graduate with a graduate degree, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
Along with my academic hurdles, I have also had to continuously support my family financially. Needless to say, failure was not an option. The irony of it all is that I am facing the hurdles experienced by other first-gen, BIPOC, and/or low-income students across the country. My personal experiences, regardless of their severity, have continuously made me work harder—they have fueled the passion that I have for dismantling the systemic barriers that keep underprivileged and marginalized communities from pursuing higher education, accumulating wealth, or just simply having access to the same opportunities that other wealthier individuals are exposed to.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
Growing up as an undocumented youth in Houston, I know firsthand what it feels like to not have a voice, not be able to express yourself, and, worse yet, be afraid to be who you are. I took it upon myself to pursue a paralegal degree so that I could help my family, friends, and myself with immigration paperwork, but I did not stop there. I have spent the greater part of the last decade understanding our legislative processes both within Texas and at a federal level in order to be an advocate and an agent of change for my community.
I recall going to Austin, TX, with United We Dream—the largest immigrant youth-led network in the country that fights for justice and dignity for all immigrants—during the 84th Texas Legislature to demand the preservation of in-state tuition for DREAMers, DACA recipients, mixed-status, and undocumented students. During the 85th Texas Legislature, I traveled once again to our capitol to stand up against the anti-immigrant rhetoric that was being spewed as lawmakers tried to ban sanctuary cities in Texas. That resulted in a Texas lawmaker threatening to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on peaceful protesters. In 2017, I marched alongside DREAMers as we demanded for Harris County to end its relationship with ICE by repealing a controversial program known as 287(g). During the 86th Texas Legislature, I stood on the steps of the capitol alongside immigrant rights organizations denouncing 85(R) Senate Bill 4, or the “Show Me Your Papers” bill, and attempted to get it repealed. I also had the privilege of advocating for Young Invincibles’ policy priorities such as increased investment in Open Educational Resources (OER), elevating the stories of student-parents, and advocating for the auto-enrolment into Healthy Texas Women.
In the 87th Texas Legislature, I had the privilege of successfully advocating for the passage of House Bill 700, which provides college credit to young adults that age out of foster care and enroll in the Department of Family Protective Services’ Preparation for Adult Living class. This is one of my most proud achievements because now foster care youth and young adults are able to secure their college tuition waiver and go on to college (if they choose) with one less thing to worry about.
Over the years I have come to specialize in government relations and advocacy. These two specializations require various skills/knowledge such as public policy, communications, stakeholder outreach, community relations, storytelling, etc. My approach to government relations is very much about developing comprehensive plans that allow for multiple levels of engagement all while communicating strategically and confidently. At the end of the day, something is always bound to occur that will shift your whole plan, and being able to pivot in those tough situations is something I become proficient in.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
One of my favorite things about our city is that there are a plethora of perspectives, cultures, languages, religious beliefs, and experiences. As Stephen Klineberg says, Houston is very much a prophetic city, a mirage of what the United States will look like in a couple of decades. We have become a minority-majority city. This has helped BIPOC Houstonians come together on various issues that impact us all. I would not be a true Houstonian if I did not complain about our traffic at least once—that is my least favorite thing. But everything else that Houston offers makes up for it.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@josuesrodriguez.com
- Website: josuesrodriguez.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/josue_s_rodriguez/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/josuesrodriguezhtx
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/josuesrodriguez
Image Credits
The Montrose Center
