Student Spotlight: Erik Rodriguez

Fresno State senior Erik Rodriguez has found an ideal summer internship at the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) - U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to combine his interest in agriculture, environmental management and plant science.

The Blackfoot, Idaho native first moved to the area at the age of seven for his father's managerial position at the Simplot operation in Helm. Since graduating from University High School, the younger Rodriguez has also gained valuable hands-on experience as a campus vegetable unit student assistant and Van Drunen Seed Farms intern. 

After he graduates next spring, he hopes to return to the Pacific Northwest for a University of Idaho master's degree in natural resource conservation & sustainable habitat revitalization. 

Learn more how the first generation college student is continuing his family's commitment to agriculture, fishing, hunting and other natural resources through his blended degree in this recent interview.

 

Q: What is your degree area, and why were you drawn towards it? 

Rodriguez: "I’m currently a special major, which my advisor and I named Natural Resource Management (with an emphasis in restorative ecology). It combines earth and environmental science department and plant science department courses. I really want to be able to help restore habitat across the United States." 

 

Q: Why did you choose to attend Fresno State? 

Rodriguez: "I originally was a plant science major, and Fresno State has the largest on-campus farm out of any university I heard of or considered applying to. It was a no-brainer, especially since I wanted to learn hands-on instead of having to apply to work in a lab to experience the field."

 

Q: Which classes & faculty members have had the biggest influence on you while at Fresno State? 

Rodriguez: "Definitely Dr. (Beth) Weinman and her CSM 10/15 courses (Scientific Method / Evidence Based Decision Making). I started working with her as a freshman, and now I’m one of her leading instructional student assistants (ISA) my senior year. Dr. Weinman also makes sure we take time for ourselves, and treats us like adults while valuing our input when it comes to course design. She provides me with information about hands-on opportunities like a community-based research assistant (CBRA) and College Corps, and makes sure I stay on top of what I need to in terms of school."

Rodriguez: "Dr. (Morgan) Hawker definitely taught me the importance and impact of chemistry. Her General Chemistry 1A class was both online and in-person, which really helped with my personal schedule. Her approach to teaching provides you with multiple ways to succeed, is transparent, and very easy to follow. She doesn’t ask too much of you, and it’s really up to you to decide how much you want to succeed."

 

Q: What companies have you done any internships or part-time jobs while at Fresno State? 

Rodriguez: "I first interned with Van Drunen Seed Farms the summer before my freshman year (I missed a few days of the internship to attend my Dog Days). I also worked as a student worker at the Fresno State vegetable crop unit; as an ISA for the JCAST specific course in CSM 10/15; as a community-based research assistant under Dr. Weinman; and as an intern currently with the NRCS program under the USDA." 

 

Q: Talk about your responsibilities at your internships and what you learned from those experiences? 

Rodriguez: "With Van Drunen Farms, it was probably the most hands-on internship I’ve been in. They had me running the setup, data collection, and logging of all parts of their basil breeding. It taught me a lot about lab work and why research is important. The Fresno State vegetable crop unit taught me the most about how day-to-day farm operations work, and taught me how to actually do the work a farm requires. The ISA program gave me the opportunity to work with students, and teach them why science is important to agriculture. I teach them why they need to understand science, even as a manager or farmer. As a CBRA, Dr. Weinman and I work with the Highway City Community Development (HCCD) Center in West Fresno. We are designing a greenspace to incorporate service-based learning for one of her earth and environmental science courses available this spring. With NRCS, I shadow planners and specialists, where we determine if the practices people want match what they can actually do, and if their application is likely to receive funding."

 

Q: How did these internships help you professionally, and what skills did you develop that you can apply to your career? 

Rodriguez: "I was able to add research experience, farm work (planting, fertilizing, harvesting), student teaching/course design, and community-based research to my resume. They all not only taught me a lot about where I’d like to work, but also prepared me for a lot of different sides of natural resource management. I understand the research that goes into practices, and am prepared to do my own if need be. I can talk with landowners, and explain why certain practices are better or worse for habitat development. I have teaching experience, and can relay higher level information to someone who may be unfamiliar with research or scientific jargon. I also can use some of the skills I gained from working with communities and with NRCS to better build relations with landowners who may want to develop habitat." 

 

Q: What were some of your strongest memories from those internships?

Rodriguez: "At Van Drunen Farms, it was the amount of trust they put into me since I was 18, and it was my first research position ever. I learned a great deal, and I still go back to things I learned there to this day. The vegetable crop unit at Fresno State really showed me how what it takes to work on a farm, and I’m confident not only in operating machinery, but also talking about operations with others."

 

Q: What's your potential next career step, and how would you like to apply your degree eventually? 

Rodriguez: "After I finish my bachelor's degree, I will hopefully start my master's program next fall at the University of Idaho, Moscow. There, I hope to learn about natural resource conservation and how to apply the practices needed in order to sustainably revive habitats."

 

Q: What was your background in agriculture before you started at Fresno State? 

Rodriguez: "My mother and her side of the family worked as migrant farmworkers, eventually settling down to work the potato warehouses in southeast Idaho. My dad came from Mexico, where we still own our ranch. He now manages the Simplot plant in Helm, CA. We’ve never really worked land of our own or owned property. We do however hunt and fish as often as we can, which is why I want to help restore and create habitat." 

 

Q: Have you received any scholarships related to campus, the Jordan College and/or Ag One? 

Rodriguez: "I have received the WRCCA Scholarship for 2020, the AgDiscovery scholarship for 2020, the Simplot scholarship for 2020 and 2021. I also recently received the ACWA scholarship for 2022."

 

Q: Have you participated in any other outreach activities/events that benefited the community? 

Rodriguez: "I volunteered as an assistant coach for the University High School Rock Climbing Team for the 2022 season. I taught kids how to climb safely, with proper technique and how to make sure they had fun while climbing." 

 

Q: Have you overcome any challenges to get where you are today that have shaped who you are? 

Rodriguez: "Probably just being first generation, and moving to California. Luckily, both of my parents are either native to the U.S. or have spent a majority of their life here. I had less struggles with income and translating, but I definitely had no idea how to apply for school. I had to apply for scholarships when I could, since we didn’t make enough for me and my brother to go to college without them."

 

Q: Are there any other interesting notes about yourself? 

Rodriguez: "I started climbing in high school, and really got into it my freshman year at college when the COVID pandemic started (and our class schedules changed and campus was closed). I still try to go three times a week to the Metalmark climbing gym if I have the time, and I'm looking forward to getting back into it after my NRCS internship (since the gym is kind of far from my house). Other interests include Star Wars, anime, history, ecology, and a mix of music from punk rock, metal, rap and country."

 

Q: Has the industry shaped you in other ways?

Rodriguez: "I like how you can always be yourself in agriculture. I think I ended up with most of the opportunities because I stayed genuine and true to what I believe."