Supporting Excellence

Nicolette Rodriguez

When I began my high school experience at South Side High School, in the Rockville Centre School District in New York, I felt like knowledge was an abyss into which I was too scared to venture.

In the fall of my freshman year, I distinctly remember sitting down with school administrators and doubting whether I possessed the ability to design my own educational future: I just could not fathom that I had the capacity to determine my own high school career.

To be honest, South Side's International Baccalaureate (IB) program was a path which I dared not consider for fear of my potential failure in advanced courses. Would I be equipped to handle such a challenging curriculum, and more important, would there be people at school on whom I could rely to aid me on my journey to college?

Because I am a Hispanic female, teachers and administrators at another school might not have expected me to excel, solely based on misconceptions about race. However, by taking advantage of the opportunities that South Side offers, I was able to overcome that stigma, challenging both my intellectual capacity and the identity into which others might have confined me. South Side sets high expectations for all its students, and I had the freedom and encouragement to mold myself into the person I was striving to become.

I enrolled in the IB program and explored my interests from chemistry and Spanish to my personal favorite, an elective course on play production. The courses were challenging due to the nature of the IB program, but not once did I feel like I had no one to turn to for help. Regardless of when I needed guidance, faculty were always willing to assist me in any challenges I was facing, both educational and personal. 

South Side High School was a second home to me that motivated, encouraged, and supported me in all of my academic endeavors. That support allowed me to persevere in school, advance as a student, and gain acceptance at Brown University's Program in Liberal Medical Education, an eight-year program that leads to a degree in medicine.

Throughout my high school career, my mother had been fighting breast cancer, and although she has now passed, it was her experience with various doctors that led me to want to become one. I hope that I can be a doctor who not only cares for her patients medically but also personally, because I saw firsthand that kindness in a time of weakness can give someone great strength. Above all, I hope to make my mother proud. 

I truly believe that the open curriculum at South Side spurred me to pursue my own educational passions and interests and developed my capacity to determine my own future. South Side's constant guidance and support inspire me even today as I continue to forge my own path.

Nicolette Rodriguez is a sophomore in Brown University’s Program in Liberal Medical Education.