#I♥OSUIT: Mark Rodriguez

#I♥OSUIT: Mark Rodriguez

Sara Plummer
#I♥OSUIT: Mark Rodriguez

Where are you from?

I was born in Brooklyn, New York, raised on Long Island, New York, went to college in Seattle, Washington, and lived in eastern Massachusetts for 20 years before coming to Oklahoma in 1993.

What do I do at OSUIT?

My primary duty is to teach physics in the science department of the School of Arts & Sciences. I also teach college algebra and trigonometry on an as needed basis.

Tell me a little about your experience with the university so far?

Teaching at OSUIT for the last ten years has been a fulfilling experience because I see students every day that are serious about accomplishing goals that will make them experts in their fields of study. Many come with insecurities about their ability to be successful and leave here at graduation with confidence and pride knowing they can do what’s needed to make a good living for their families in a career with a solid future.

What’s been the best thing about working here?

The people who work here—be they staff, faculty, or administrators—have a sense of importance in what they do to make this place the unique institution it is. The friendships I have developed and the cordial relationship I’ve observed between personnel in various departments gives this place a sense of “family” that is missing in larger colleges.

What’s your favorite spot on campus?

Without a doubt it’s my classroom in the Science Technology building. Every day I have the privilege to see the “aha” moment when a student’s eyes suddenly brighten, and their facial expression tells me they “get it,” they understand!

What would you tell someone who was thinking about attending or working at OSUIT?

OSUIT is a place where we try our very best to take a student from where they are academically and help them achieve, with excellence, what they may have felt was the impossible dream.