They didn’t plan to graduate from the University of Virginia on the same weekend, but Juan Pablo Rodriguez and his daughter Natalie are doing just that.
The Northern Virginia residents are both receiving their bachelor’s degrees this Finals Weekend, with Natalie walking the Lawn on Saturday and Juan Pablo on Sunday.
“It was funny because we have been comparing classes and talking about our grades, but we were not thinking, ‘Hey, we’re going to end up graduating at the same time,’” laughed Juan Pablo, who will graduate with a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies degree from the School of Continuing and Professional Studies. “We realized I was doing my capstone and she was taking her last semester, and it was kind of like, ‘Whoa, this is great!’”
“It was a surprise. I ended up taking summer classes and finishing in the fall, but I walk the Lawn this spring, so we get to have our graduation at the same time,” said Natalie, who will receive her bachelor’s degree in international relations.
They may graduate at the same time, but they’ve taken different paths to get to the Lawn. In fact, neither originally set out to be a Hoo.
Natalie Rodriguez and her father, Juan Pablo, enjoy a moment in downtown Charlottesville. Natalie came to UVA as a transfer student and Juan Pablo studied online with the School of Continuing and Professional Studies. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)
Natalie, who graduated from high school in 2020 and attended Northern Virginia Community College before transferring to UVA, took classes on Grounds for two years, finishing her coursework in the fall semester. Her original idea was to transfer to closer-to-home George Mason University.
“UVA wasn’t on my radar. I was just comfortable and I thought, ‘I can live at home and commute to George Mason,’ and it would be easy,” she said. “And – I can say this now – I never really took school that seriously, at least not at that time.”
Juan Pablo’s path took longer. A native of Ecuador, he came to the U.S. numerous times in the 1980s for treatment of a childhood disease and became a legal resident in the 2010s. He started college in 2017 at Northern Virginia Community College and transferred to the School of Continuing and Professional Studies in 2020, studying online while raising his family and working for a property management company.
“In my second year at NOVA, I knew that I had to decide where to go next. We live very close to George Mason University, about 20 minutes on the same street, so I was thinking maybe there,” he said.
UVA’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies contacted him, and he discovered the school’s schedule flexibility and online courses were a perfect fit for his needs. He transferred his credits in 2020.
“Sometimes, I was only able to take two classes, and a couple of semesters I could only take one because we were so busy at work, but I loved it,” he said.
“When I was doing this, Natalie was finishing high school and starting college,” Juan Pablo said. “When Natalie was looking to transfer, I was telling her, ‘Hey, this is a great school.’ The program was amazing, and I was really enjoying it.”
Natalie had a different idea.
“My college plan was just to take these online classes and transfer to George Mason and be done, but the beauty of the COVID-19 pandemic was that it led me to take a break. I stumbled upon a full-time job volunteering at a nonprofit, and that kind of like whipped me into shape to go back into school.”
“I took it more seriously and realized that with the grades I was getting, I could go to UVA,” she said.
Foreign affairs was an easy choice for her.
“Since I was in high school, I’ve kind of been interested in law, politics and all of that, but I knew I didn’t want to be a lawyer or run for office,” she said. “The nonprofit I worked with worked a lot with immigration, and I was interested in helping the Latino community. I have the advantage of speaking Spanish and being Hispanic, and with foreign affairs, you learn a lot more about the culture of the different countries. Within that culture lie the answers to so many problems.”
History and politics are the primary focus of Juan Pablo’s bachelor’s degree.
“I work in property management, and people ask me, ‘Property management? What does that have to do with politics? But when you’re managing properties, you are really a diplomat and dealing with people,” he said. “I’m working with a company that is just getting started in D.C., so I want to see how I can contribute more.”
For Juan Pablo, the School of Continuing and Professional Studies was the right choice at the right time.
“The professors, my classmates and the staff have all been supportive. It’s a different feeling because my peers are here with a purpose, and there were people my age and young professionals who had young families,” he said. “I felt like I belonged.”
Father and daughter credit their wife and mother, Laura Cayrampoma, as their biggest supporter and role model for attending online courses from Strayer University through her four pregnancies, graduating in 2011.
