This is the 101st article in Bears Doing Big Things, a weekly column celebrating the stories of notable M-A alumni.
“My parents were always big on me making a better life for myself. They were always stressing, ‘hey, we want a better life for you than we had growing up.’ That really stuck in my mind while I was in high school and college,” Jennifer Rodriguez ’14 said. Now, Rodriguez-Garcia works as a clerk at Brayton Purcell LLC, a personal injury law firm, where she supports case management by helping the firm stay organized and meet critical deadlines.
Rodriguez-Garcia was raised in a close-knit East Palo Alto community, attending Costaño Elementary School—which later became 49ers Academy. “It’s a very small city, so a lot of us knew each other well,” she said.
As a freshman at M-A, Rodriguez-Garcia initially felt overwhelmed by the size of the student body. “High school was a big change, because there were a lot more people in the school,” she said. “At first it was kind of a shock, but what helped me adapt was getting into AVID, because I was able to connect with a smaller community. It helped me not be so shy about starting my classes and talking to new people.”
In AVID, Rodriguez-Garcia found support, confidence, and guidance for college. “It felt like a safe and familiar group being the same people over four years,” she said. “It also really helped me learn about applying to college and what to expect in college, which was especially important for me because I was the first one in my family to go to college.”
Rodriguez-Garcia’s favorite classes at M-A was Biology with Crystal Gilfillan. After her freshman year, she worked as Gilfillan’s assistant in a summer science program for seventh and eighth graders. “It was very interesting seeing how they participated with the activities and how they learned,” she said.
Rodriguez-Garcia’s work as a Gilfillan’s assistant sparked her interest in how others learn and think. “I really like learning how people think differently, and how they learn differently. Learning about psychology really gives you a new perspective,” she said.
Rodriguez-Garcia took AP Psychology her senior year, where teacher Lisa Otsuka furthered her interest in the subject. “She made me love the subject so much that I ended up majoring in it in college,” she said. “I took a psychology and law course, and there are a lot of things that are applicable from psychology to law. In a way, they just ended up tying together.”
Following M-A, Rodriguez-Garcia attended Foothill College. “There was a lot of help from professors. You really felt that all the professors were there trying to help you go to college,” she said.
In 2019, Rodriguez-Garcia transferred to San Francisco State University. While her time there was disrupted by the pandemic, forcing her to finish remotely, she still appreciated her brief in-person college experience. “It was different, but I had a good time in college while I was able to go in person,” she said.
At SFSU, Rodriguez-Garcia got involved in the President’s Leadership Program, a pre-professional program at SFSU that provides students with workshops and networking opportunities to prepare them for the workplace. “We learned a lot of career skills, like how to manage your workload. We also got the opportunity to reach out to inmates and get involved in programs that helped incarcerated people,” she said. “I am very glad I did it.
After college, Rodriguez-Garcia worked as a legal assistant at Seaport Law Group, a small immigration firm. “It was only me and two attorneys,” she said. “I was helping them and the clients fill out applications for different immigration purposes, like getting a green card or getting a visa for employment or traveling.”
“It was a lot different than what I’m doing now because it’s a completely different area of the law,” she added. “It’s still very interesting to me but I’ve really liked learning a new domain.”
Rodriguez-Garcia’s role at Seaport Law Group gave her the confidence to pursue her current position. “It was a very small firm, so I was taking care of whatever needed to get done in the office or with clients,” she explained.. “I was able to gain a lot of office experience, which gave me the confidence to apply to a completely different job.”
Currently, Rodriguez-Garcia works as a clerk at Brayton Purcell LLC, a personal injury law firm. “I focus on making sure we are responding to defendants on time, and that we are keeping track of the responses from defendants that we receive. I also take note of and keep track of anything that needs follow up,” she said. “There’s a very large volume of complaints and cases that we have.
Rodriguez-Garcia’s advice to current M-A students: “Enjoy time in high school because sometimes it goes by very quickly. It’s a very special and unique time in your life.”
To those interested in working at a law firm: “Investigate the different areas of law to see what kind you’re interested in because here’s a ton. Look into everything to see what sparks your interest the most.”
