Long time college counselor, Crystal Rodriguez, has been named the first full-time San Diego Promise and East Village Middle College High School (EVMCHS) counselor at San Diego City College. Rodriguez began her new role on October 10, 2022.

“I really wanted to work at City College because of the populations they serve. When I was hired, I felt like it was everything I was looking for to combine all of my passions into one,” said Rodriguez, who is a first-generation college graduate with family roots from Mexico.

EVMCHS provides high school students with an opportunity for dual enrollment to earn their diploma and college credit at City College. In between classes, students have access to City College’s resources, clubs, and tutoring centers. Upon graduation, EVMCHS students are also eligible for the San Diego Promise scholarship, a program that provides two years of free tuition at San Diego City, Mesa, and Miramar colleges, book grants, peer mentors, and counseling.

“EVMCHS is very rigorous. Our students have a certain maturity level and are all very eager to challenge themselves,” Rodriguez said. “Many of them come from low-income backgrounds and see this as a chance to better their lives and their family’s lives.”

Rodriguez provides guidance for EVMCHS students while they are freshman, sophomores, juniors, and seniors in high school and through their transition to City College as Promise students. “There is a great benefit to having the same person supporting you from high school to college. As counselors, we can see what is hindering a student’s success and help break down those barriers.”

She added, “It is powerful to talk with students at a young age about going to a community college. Many of these kids grow up thinking that college is not for them because of stigmas such as high cost or not knowing how to navigate the system. My goal is to show them that even if you have no financial support, City College can support you through programs like EVMCHS, the Promise Program, Puente, Umoja, and HUBU.”

Rodriguez previously served as an adjunct counselor at Cuyamaca College and San Diego Miramar College. She worked as an adjunct professor teaching counseling and guidance at the Palm Desert Campus of California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB). At College of the Desert, she worked as a college success teacher for Upward Bound and as an EOPS and TRIO counselor.

Rodriguez earned both a master’s degree in Counseling and Guidance and a bachelor's degree in Sociology at CSUSB. She was also a member of the Education Counseling Graduate Student Association.