Building a Future

The Designer

Gerardo Rodriguez of Hermiston, Oregon, was the first in his family to graduate from elementary school, middle school, and high school. And now, thanks to scholarships, he is the first to attend college. “Without the help of scholarships, I would not be here,” says Gerardo, a multimedia design major whose parents are Mexican immigrants. The 2001 Hermiston High School valedictorian graduated with a 4.0 GPA and was cocaptain of his soccer team, Senior Outstanding Artist of the Year and a Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year finalist. He received a Dean’s Scholarship, a Diversity-Building Scholarship, an Erickson Scholarship, and many others to attend the University of Oregon.

As a member of MEChA (Movimiento Estudiante Chicanos de Aztlan) at the UO, Gerardo tutors middle school students. He hopes to serve as a role model for them and for his two younger sisters. “I just want them to know that whatever they wish to do, they can accomplish,” he says. “It may not always be easy but it can be done. I have gone through many struggles but the key is not to give up. Just keep your head up, and anything is possible.”