Simón Rodriguez Jr. '13
Andrew Purnell Jr. Trailblazer Award Winner
- Youth Services Manager, City of Aurora; Aurora
- Major: Social Sciences Teacher Education
Simón Rodriguez has dedicated his life to increasing EDI representation and awareness for his students and community. From 2006-09, Rodriguez served in the Army National Guard, 11B infantry, with C-Troop 2/106 Cavalry unit out of Aurora. After transitioning out of the military, Rodriguez was awarded a Fulbright scholarship in 2012 to study abroad in Cuernavaca, Mexico. That same year, he was awarded the Mark Wyman Scholarship by the ISU Department of History.
Rodriguez graduated from Illinois State with a bachelor’s degree in social sciences education and was immediately hired by East Aurora High School, the high school he attended. He taught bilingual social studies for four years before moving to his current role of youth services manager for the City of Aurora.
In his time as a teacher, Rodriguez focused on bringing representation, acceptance, and a high quality of education to his students. He is passionate about the power of representation can have in helping students feel accepted and empowered in their communities. In his role as youth services manager, he has spent years creating equity programs for low-income families, first-generation students, and immigrant communities. He has also served on the Aurora Hispanic Heritage advisory board.
Rodriguez is also an alum of Waubonsee Community College and, in 2021, was recognized by its president and board of trustees for leadership and activism. Rodriguez has served since 2018 as a mentor for the college’s TRIUMPH program, which works to support male students of color.
He has been an active member of the Illinois State Latinx Alumni Network (LAN) since its inception in 2014. Here he has been an integral part of numerous projects, including fundraising for scholarships, seasonal events, cultural celebrations, and other gatherings, all of which contributed to the endowment of the Jaime and Lizet Flores Scholarship in 2021. Today, he continues to serve LAN as its president.