SSU alumnus Manny Rodriguez was featured in a “Diverse: Issues in Higher Education” story, “Advocating Policy, Better than Before,” published September 10 on the publication’s website.
Rodriguez is director of policy and advocacy in California at The Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS), an independent nonprofit research and policy organization. He was formerly at EdTrust-West, the California section of the national educational equity advocacy group.
EdTrust-West’s senior director of policy and government relations, Brian Rivas, is quoted praising Rodriguez as “a leader in higher education policy advocacy,” and “a great asset in California.”
In the article, Rodriguez – who graduated from Sonoma State with a bachelor’s degree in criminology and criminal justice studies (2012) and a master’s degree in public administration (2015) – credits his time at SSU with influencing his passion for the work he does now.
“At Sonoma State, I witnessed firsthand how targeted support can influence the educational trajectory of low-income, first-generation, or BIPOC students. While a lot of this is done on an individual level by the faculty and staff, policies and procedures can intentionally be set in place to ensure that housing services, student services, campus involvement, and academic programming are catered to historically underserved students.”