YLNG Employee Spotlight: Aida Rodriguez

August 31, 2017

Tell me about your current role at Yale University?

I am currently the Administrative Assistant in the Department of Geology & Geophysics. I will be celebrating 30 years at Yale next July.

What are your main responsibilities?

As the Administrative Assistant, I support the business office with various business processes, making sure that the office runs as smoothly as possible, and directing all incoming calls and visitors to where they need to go. I also support the faculty and graduate students in regards to their courses, lab purchases and fieldwork.

What do you like most about your work?

I enjoy interacting with the faculty, students and postdocs and learning about the diverse cultures, their languages and their travel experiences and at times. They bring back souvenirs, which I have collected throughout the years!  I especially like the chocolates from all over the world!!

How does your job affect your general lifestyle?

I wouldn’t say that it affects my lifestyle per se, but I like that I have set hours so that I can enjoy my time away from work with family and friends.

How did you begin your career?

I began taking business classes in high school (bookkeeping, steno, typing, etc.). In my last year of high school, I spent my mornings at school and the second half of the day was doing an internship at a publishing company where I was able to apply the skills that I was learning at school. I also learned how to operate various office equipment, which has helped me to this day.

What steps would you recommend one take to prepare to enter this field?

I guess I would recommend that you start early like I did, right from high school, and continue your education most likely with a business administration degree (something I started but did not finish), and I would also recommend sharpening your computer skills.

What skills, abilities, and personal attributes are essential to success in your job/this field?

I believe that being a team player and recognizing the fact that you need others to run a successful business is very important. I also think that learning how to deal with people in a professional manner is crucial in the business field, and being assertive in a positive way to get your point across without making others feel like their opinion is not valuable.  I think listening and being engaged when speaking to others and showing empathy are wonderful attributes to have.

If you could do it all over again, would you choose the same path for yourself? If not, what would you change?

If I could do it all over again, I would be on Broadway (my name in lights, LOL!)!!!  I wanted to be an actress, but I never pursued it.

What does YLNG mean to you and how have you contributed as a member of the Steering Committee?

While I am not as active at the moment, I try to attend as many events as possible and volunteer when I can. I have met some wonderful people in the committee and at the various events and was surprised to learn who was Latino that I would never have guessed!