CSF Advisor Melody Rodriguez Honored with 2021 Mentoring Lifetime Achievement Award
College Success Foundation advisor Melody Rodriguez has received this year’s Excellence in Mentoring Lifetime Achievement award from MENTOR National. This award is given to a person who has dedicated their life’s work to supporting youth through mentoring programs.
Melody was honored along with six other individuals and organizations that have made tremendous contributions to mentoring young people, including U.S. Senator Corey Booker.
Mobilizing Latino Youth and Young Adults
MENTOR recognized Melody for her work as the founder and director of Proyecto MoLE. This Latino student support program inspires, prepares, and mobilizes Latino youth and young adults to be community leaders. Support from this program includes everything from navigating DACA and immigration to clearing pathways to post-secondary education and professional careers.
“I am deeply honored to receive this award in recognition for my commitment to mentoring the youth in my community,” Melody says. “I believe in order to achieve the change we want to see in the world around us, we must invest in our young people. Oftentimes young people need help seeing the gifts, opportunities and possibilities they have before them, which is why mentoring is so important.”
Empowering Tacoma’s Youth
Melody has dedicated 27 years to providing opportunities for Tacoma’s youth to realize their potential and see that they are a vital part of the community.
For eight years, she’s been a CSF College Preparatory Advisor through CSF’s Achievers program at Mount Tahoma High School. Low-income, first-generation, and foster care students in grades 11 and 12 work with Melody to navigate the college admissions and financial aid processes, finish high school, and go on to college.
Building Relationships
Melody’s fierce belief in mentoring is key to her success at College Success Foundation and Proyecto MoLE. She ‘keeps it real’, has high expectations, and relentlessly works to build lasting relationships with every young person she encounters.
“A mentor is someone that tells you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear,” Melody says. “They will be your greatest cheerleader, but they will also be your worst critic when they know you can do better.”
Melody has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Central Washington University. She also holds a master’s degree in public administration from Evergreen State College.
Learn more about Melody’s achievement and incredible career.