By BRITTNEY WILLIAMS

Brenda Rodriguez’s life-changing moment came on Feb. 28, 2012. It was then she realized that having a college degree can be vital.

Now at 41 years old, Rodriguez is excited to have graduated from Boricua College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Resources on June 13. She’ll receive the piece of paper that could have made a world of a difference for her if she hadn’t dropped out 10 years ago.

Brenda finished Satellite High School in Longwood in 1992 and planned on going to Florida State University on scholarship. But when the fall semester came around, instead of moving into a dorm room, she found herself preparing to become a mother.

Two years later she started taking classes at Boricua College, but only stayed for three semesters after getting pregnant with her second child. At this point, her priorities changed. “My thing was to work, support my kids and be the best mom that I can be,” she said.

She held a number of jobs and eventually became an operations manager for a telecommunications company where she stayed for six years until she received devastating news. The company was being taken over by another company and the new administration decided to let her go because she lacked that piece of paper–a college degree.

Realizing that not having a college education stunted her occupational progress, Rodriguez re-enrolled at Boricua College. The sacrifices were unexpected–six months of going to classes left her nearly penniless, with bills piling up. After almost losing her apartment, not being able to pay for healthcare for her asthmatic son and being forced to find a temporary home for her children, she almost gave up.

As Rodriguez searched for a job to cover her expenses, she also tried seeking answers over her follies. Every door was shut in her face. Classes were becoming increasingly difficult, as her professors noticed. One professor told her how much potential she had and gave her the moral support she needed to keep going.

“I have to say Boricua College has really opened the doors for me,” said Rodriguez. Those doors require keys, and the school certainly has those, boasts Abraham Cruz, vice president of Admissions and Enrollment Management for the school. “…[O]nce you open it, nobody can stop you,” he said. Cruz has been a staple in the school for 36 years, having held a number of positions.

The college’s founder and president, Dr. Victor G. Alicea, established the school in the ‘70s to concentrate on Puerto Rican and Latin students finishing their college education. The school has progressed and is more diverse with 500 students at its Bronx campus representing 11 different Hispanic groups as well as African-American and Caucasian backgrounds.

The bright, cream-colored colored campus is housed in a 14-story building with large windows, creating an open space that inspires a sense of vision for students. The building is settled at the epicenter of Melrose Commons, a newly-built affordable housing complex that will belong to the school’s housing portfolio once the 30-year lease is satisfied.

The college offers associate’s, bachelor’s, and one-year master’s degree programs and encourages students to take classes at their own pace. Since a lot of students are working adults, faculty members are very understanding and help students with creating a schedule that works for them.

“You don’t have to leave the Bronx to get a quality higher education,” said Cruz as he described the college’s marketing campaign. The college frequently sets up a table at community events to let people know that an education opportunity is sitting right in their backyard.

Classes are modeled after Oxford University. Seats are laid out in a circular fashion, and taught in an intimate setting. As part of the curriculum, teachers regularly meet with students one on one to discuss progress and academics. Day and night classes are available along with parking and an after-school program for children of students. Being affordable, accessible and flexible are three factors that the college prides itself on.

“If we change the lives of the adults, the lives of the children of the adults will change as well,” said Cruz. It’s a reason why Boricua College’s key major is Childhood Education. It seems fitting. After all, Rodriguez describes incoming students as joining an extended family. It’s a reason why her 21-year-old son is also enrolled at the school.

“This is a community itself,” said Rodriguez. She is now president of the student council and works at the college. After graduation, she plans to pursue a master’s degree in business or human services field at Hunter College. “I want to build on the experiences I went through,” said Rodriguez. “I’m not only dreaming, I have a vision where people like myself can go somewhere to get help.”

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.