#2022Trojan: Meet Yulissa Rodriguez, Master of Public Health program graduate

Yulissa Rodriguez, MPH, earned her Master of Public Health degree in December 2021.

What’s one of your favorite memories from your program?

I loved finally getting to meet my classmates in person, after spending a year on Zoom with them. It was so nice to spend time with them during my last semester.

What are you doing after you graduate?

In January I started working full time as a Clinical Research Coordinator at Stanford University School of Medicine, in the Nephrology Division. I currently am part of the Stanford Symphonic Chorus, and will be joining the new Stanford Medicine Chorus this summer. I am also actively working on completing and publishing a few longer term research projects that I started while at USC. I’ve enjoyed still getting to connect with my USC professors through the research projects.

What do you look forward to in your career path?

I look forward to bringing the principles of Public Health and the skills I learn in clinical research into my practice as a future physician.

What advice do you have for future grads?

The main piece of advice I would like to give is to “claim your education”. What I mean by that is to not passively go through the motions of completing classes and requirements for your degree, but to actively engage and always ask questions. Prioritize your learning. Take full advantage of the resources USC has to provide and get to know your professors well. They are there to help you in your classes and in your career path.

It is also never too late to achieve your dreams. I have spent quite some time worrying about my pace of achievement and falling behind. But the truth is that it does not matter when you achieve your goals as long as you keep working towards them.