Research Rookies Student Profiles

Name: Elaine Rodriguez

Cohort: Freshman Research Rookie

Major: Pre-Physical Therapy

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois

Faculty Mentor: Dr. James Ciesla

Elaine Rodriguez is majoring in Pre-Physical Therapy, minoring in Public Health, and she is bilingual. Through Research Rookies, she is able to combine all of these into one project that allows her to help people, work with a mentor, and prepare her for her future.

The project Elaine is working on addresses a six-month computer training program used to help disabled and elderly citizens reconnect and relate to society. Particularly, she is trying to determine how the computer program can help Latinos, and why many of the Latinos using the program did not complete it.

Elaine has always wanted to give back to her community and help people, but she didn’t know how to turn that into a career. Deciding on Pre-Physical Therapy and joining Research Rookies has given her more clarity on how she can do that. Ideally, Elaine would like to open her own clinic and do community work to help promote health awareness. With her love of sports, her fun personality, and her ability to speak two languages, Elaine will be able to connect with any person, and make a difference in their lives. And for now, she is excited to have the opportunity to work in Spanish with the Latinos who never finished the program, and learn more about public health and physical therapy while working to achieve her goals.

Elaine on what being a Research Rookie means: “Being a Research Rookie means being curious to learn more than what is taught in the classroom.  Researching helps you learn in a new way and in a way that you will enjoy.  Participating in this has helped me see what I am capable of doing.”