Mariaestela Rodrigues '84

Transcript

Interviewer: Masumi Sasaki (MS)

Narrator: Mariestela Rodrigues (MR)

MR: Yes. I did belong to the student government. I was part of student government. I was part of the black student organization, of course. I think I was a treasurer at one point. I was a social person at one point. I didn't want to belong to too many clubs 'cause my dad would be upset. We need to study. That was the goal. But I did not so much belong to the women history, but I did hang out with a lot of women. And at that time, it was the campus, the other campus where most, where the classes were at being held as Simmons has two campuses. We met there in a room with women history course I was really interested in our history as women and 'cause it connects, it connects how.
MS: So you were so busy studying and joining.
MR: Yeah, and also doing a little bit of a party in too, but we won't get to that, but yeah.
MS: So did you feel college life, fulfilling ?
MR: I really liked my undergraduate life. I enjoyed it. I became more, I think I became more aware being on the campus and having those surround campus, you know, having other schools around us. I know we did a lot of things at MIT. We, Northeastern would have a few functions and we would attend. So that helped me to grow. That was one of the reasons why I wanted to go back. I actually got my master's at Simmons too. And at that time I wanted to be a resident director. I don't know if they still have those, but when I was there, there was a woman who was a resident director at Evans Hall, but I think she was only there for a year. Her name is Claire Andre Watkins. And she turns out Dr. Watkins, she's a professor that I know of at Emerson. She was our resident director. Nobody looked like me on, except for Dean Rollins looked like us. She was kind
of our mom, and not really our mom, but you know what I mean? She kind of gathered at us and gave us advice. So everybody looked up to her. But when I went back for master's program, I said, I wanted to be on the campus to be visible for the students so they can have somebody they can talk to.
MS: Oh.
MR: You know, 'cause it's important. I mean, Dr. Bettina Love, who I love her books, we gotta read it sometimes. She talks about how important it is for children of color to have seen somebody that looks like them in at least by third grade in order to self-esteem, to stay in school, things like, you know, et cetera.
MS: So you did have a chance to meet good friends and teachers, peers.
MR: Yes, I did. I mean, like I said, Candice Pope Lindsay, it was my roommate.
And we still text, we will talk on Facebook. I know she lives, everybody kind of spread out. But because I was there as a grad student, I met another group of women who I still keep in touch with. Some are in my sorority, 'cause I pledged to sorority in grad school. So some are in my sorority that went to Simmons, that was still in touch. Some women, we just worked on reunion, because at the time when I was working on the reunion committee, working with the alumni office, trying to bring back as many African-American women to the campus. That's where we started with that picture in front of Simmons. But actually the picture was done in front of the president's house. The first one that I remembered in front of the president's house in Brookline.