Samuel Rodriguez and his family faced financial setbacks when his mother lost her job due to illness and was unable to work for four years. Fortunately, she recovered and the struggles his family endured have made them stronger. ​​

​​He is currently pursuing a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering at California State University Maritime Academy with minors in business administration and mathematics. During his junior year, Samuel joined the 2019 Collegiate Wind Competition team, researching and implementing a never-before-attempted motor-startup design in competition that became integral to his team’s turbine system.

​​Samuel volunteers with Rebuilding Together Solano County and tutors fellow cadets on math, science and engineering. He serves as vice president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ student chapter at Cal Maritime, is a Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation PROUD Scholar and a member of Pi Tau Sigma.

After graduation, Samuel hopes to work in the energy industry before returning to school to pursue a graduate degree.​​​