A six-credit internship as a GW undergrad changed Maria Rodriguez’s life. Years later, she’s reconnecting with the university to give more students that same opportunity.
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As a first-generation American, whose parents immigrated to the U.S. from Spain by way of Venezuela, Maria Rodriguez, GWSB BBA ’82, says education was constantly reinforced growing up, and there was never any question that she’d go to college. Born and raised in D.C., she wanted to go away to study, but her father, who worked at the Inter-American Development Bank, saw people from all over the world sending their children to Washington. “He felt if [D.C.] was good enough for high-level diplomats, it was good enough for his daughter,” she adds, laughing, “who he obviously didn’t want to leave home.”
She was accepted into most D.C.-area schools, and ultimately chose GW. “I think I had an unusual GW experience,” she says of having to live at home instead of on campus and work various off-campus, part-time jobs, which made it hard to connect with others. Eventually she made friends who lived on campus, so she was able to spend time in the dorms and study with them at the Marvin Center or in the library, and ultimately felt connected through them.
Originally, Rodriguez wanted to major in psychology, but her parents were pushing for a career in law or accounting — careers that they, as immigrants, understood and had seen in practice, Rodriguez explains — so she was on track for a finance degree.
But while working part-time in the accounting office at a nonprofit, an accountant suggested that she also explore communications and public relations. He introduced her to the woman who did the PR for their organization, and soon after, Rodriguez was offered an internship at the woman’s PR agency.
At first, her parents weren’t supportive. “Again, it goes back to the immigrant outlook. They said, ‘What do you mean you want work for free?’” says Rodriguez. Luckily, GW gave her six credits for the internship experience that semester. She had a lot of other work to do to get those credits, including a final paper, but it allowed her parents to support it.
“It changed my life. I really saw how powerful communications and public education can be. You’re basically giving people information, educating them, and enabling them to make better decisions for themselves, for their families and their community. And the hope is to make the world a better place,” she explains. “And I know that sounds lofty, but I really saw the power of that.”
Rodriguez finished her senior year squeezing in as many PR and communications classes as she could, and once she graduated, she was offered a full-time job at the PR agency where she interned.
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Fast forward five years. After gaining experience managing a small agency and working for a larger firm on projects ranging from corporate issues and product promotions to non-profit work, she started Vanguard Communications with her former boss, the woman who opened her eyes to the PR world. The two had stayed friends over the years and wanted to focus solely on social issues where they could make a difference.
Vanguard tackles issues from diversity and inclusion to education, and energy and the environment to youth and families. One of her longest-standing clients is Willie Nelson’s Farm Aid, a nonprofit that aims to keep small family farms on the land because of the contributions they make to society, and the area she has personally invested most of her time has been in children’s mental health.
“At the time, there weren’t any companies like the one we started … We stayed true to our mission, and 32 years later, I’m really proud of the fact that we continue to do this work,” she says, noting that she’s been the sole owner for the last 18 years, and that the focus of Vanguard Communications is always to be people-first.
“Whether you’re thinking about how you’re communicating, or what kind of decision you’re making, or what the path forward is, it’s important to put people first,” she says, especially now with technology and social media. “Everyone is physically attached to devices, but nothing is going to replace that real human connection, and when we experience those human connections, we’re always stronger for it … So, it all comes back to our people-first value.”
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In 2017, when she and the staff were looking for meaningful ways to honor Vanguard’s 30th anniversary, they came across the Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute at GW. She was (and still is) concerned about the lack of diversity within the field of communications and public relations, so she saw an opportunity to partner with them.
“I was really impressed with what they were doing. They are really there to support mostly first-generation Latino students coming to GW, many who are away from home for the first time, and I felt a real kinship with that,” she says, noting that it would have been helpful for her to have a community resource like this when she was a student.
So she created “Comunicadores for the Future,” a program in the Institute that funds communications-focused summer internships at nonprofits in the D.C. metro area. Just like when she was in college, a lot of these students can’t take unpaid internships, so recipients receive a living and housing stipend as well as mentoring and professional development sessions at Vanguard Communications about the best PR and communications practices and leadership skills.
To date, 15 students have participated in the Comunicadores program. A recent participant, Aaron Madrid Aksoz, interned in 2017 with the ACLU and is now working there full-time as a communications associate while finishing his last semester at GW. He recently wrote to thank Rodriguez for introducing him to the field of communications.
“The partnership you made with Cisneros to match scholars with organizations like the ACLU gave me the connections that I needed to be able to get my foot in the door at an amazing organization,” he wrote. “I likely wouldn’t have had the same opportunities arise if it weren’t for your generosity and willingness to give back to the Latinx community and to your alma mater. I hope to one day be able to pay it forward and help change the lives of students who have the skills but not the means to succeed in their careers.”
But Rodriguez still wants to do more. She recently joined the GW Leadership Advisory Council because she believes that more people and alumni who have a passion for helping Latino students need to be brought together. “I’m hoping that by participating in this higher-level advisory council, I can help bring more visibility to the Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute so that we can help more students.”
-Christine Cole
