Episode #15 Season 3 One Student's Journey to Breaking the Cycle

What does true resilience look like in the face of overwhelming obstacles? Meet Anjelica Rodriguez, who journeyed from a childhood marked by family mental health struggles, financial hardship, and adult responsibilities to become a college graduate, homeowner, and devoted mother breaking generational cycles.

When we talk about student potential, Anjelica's story stands as a powerful testament to what's possible with determination and support. As a middle schooler, she balanced schoolwork while helping care for younger siblings in a household where resources were scarce and her mother battled bipolar disorder. By sixteen, her independence led her to move in with her eighteen-year-old sister, working two jobs while maintaining her studies. Today, she's a Penn State graduate working as a resident specialist prioritizing housing for military families.

What makes Anjelica's perspective so valuable for educators is her balanced view of her challenges. She acknowledges the difficulties while maintaining deep appreciation for her mother's efforts to create better opportunities. Her advice to teachers working with students from challenging backgrounds is refreshingly direct: "Don't assume." She shares a poignant story about a teacher who refused to accept her money for a school project, making her feel stereotyped rather than supported.

For students currently navigating difficult circumstances, Anjelica offers wisdom beyond her years: "Sometimes life is not easy and you go through periods where you are learning and you don't have nothing to pull from. But keep in mind and have faith that at the end of the day, this is just a time." Her message emphasizes perseverance, exposure to possibilities beyond current circumstances, and maintaining faith in future potential.

Whether you're an educator seeking to better support students from challenging backgrounds or someone navigating your own difficult journey, this conversation offers practical wisdom about creating supportive spaces, maintaining wellness through intentional practices, and recognizing the extraordinary resilience that can emerge from adversity.

Thanks for listening!

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:21

This is Wellness for Educators, episode 15. You need to be well to teach well. That is the motto, seeking a healthy balance. You matter, and so does your health. There is life beyond the classroom. This is Wellness, wednesday, october 15, 2025.

Meeting Anjaleka Rodriguez

Speaker 1 0:41

In previous episodes, we have discussed resilience. I interviewed Jamie Barberich. She is a resilient teacher that has been living with a brain tumor. Her positive, fighter attitude has always been an inspiration to me. Well, today, it is a great privilege to interview Anjaleka Rodriguez. I met Angelica when she was in sixth grade. This young woman has had to overcome extreme hardships in her youth, but I do believe her ability to be resilient is the key to her success. She is by far the most resilient student I have met over my 37 years of teaching. Anjaleka is presently working as a resident specialist. She works to prioritize housing on military bases. She is responsible for housing the junior officers and their families on base. She is a Penn State graduate and a mother of a four-year-old, very intelligent young man, andy. She owns her own home and she is working to break the cycle of her past and she is certainly succeeding. Welcome, Anjaleka. Hi, Mrs Maxfield, so nice to see you.

Speaker 2 1:57

Thank you for having me. I am honored and thank you so much for all the kind words Good.

Speaker 1 2:03

Well, I recall vividly sitting with you in my office and we were working on an assignment and for some reason you began to cry and you said to me no one understands. Well, I certainly did not understand your home life. I know there was dysfunction, but you lived with younger siblings that I believe you care for. I know your mother had severe challenges and there was so much more that I really didn't know. But despite all of these struggles, you rose above and are now living and thriving. So can you just share a little bit about your story?

Speaker 2 2:47

Yes. So yes, I am originally from Philly. That's where I was born, where my, where we came from Philly. When I was five with my no it was at this time only four siblings to stay college. When we got here, my mom newly divorced from my father, single parent, doing it by herself four children. She was a stay-at-home mom. So this was new territory and I really commend her for making that transition or that move here, because a lot of people could have just stayed in Philly, but she wanted a better life for us.

Speaker 1 3:37

So she came here to State College.

Speaker 2 3:38

And you know, yes, like Ms Maxfield, my childhood was not easy and I did deal with a lot of challenges and I did encounter a lot of hurdles to overcome and you know, I think you know a lot of, a lot of. Even though the other children's stories aren't mine, I do feel like a lot of children, do you know, have their own stories and I did have friends that dealt with stuff that was even more dysfunctional or more traumatic, in a sense. But my mom did the best that she could do. She did struggle with, um, with mental health issues, um, she struggled with just health issues in general. We grew to a family of four to six and we didn't have much and you know, and in the end she did what she could do and you know, I I did what I could do on my end to make sure that I did, you know, succeed and was able to do and do better, I guess, than what I had came from.

Speaker 1 4:43

So when you went home, like, think about middle school and you went home, what were your responsibilities? I do believe you had a younger brother that had major learning issues too.

Speaker 2 4:58

Um, I mean we all, we all have some learning issues.

Speaker 1 5:01

Yeah, but I think he had more severe.

Speaker 2 5:05

Aumed, I mean, yeah, if he's being a myth, a myth is autistic and you know he did. He did have his own challenges as well. But when I, when I went home and it's funny because even when you did say that I started crying I was thinking like what could it have been that I was upset about or what was going on? And you know, I think back there there was a lot of things that could have been what I was upset about or what was going on. So when I did go home, I mean, I did face or have different things and challenges, but and I did help out significantly with my younger siblings, but at the same time, I do think, a big part because I was in a big family, you know. So there was way more stuff to have to help, you know, to make the family work with. I feel like a lot of people who do have bigger families have experiences with and I, you know, but yeah, I did have to help out and I really didn't have to.

Speaker 2 6:04

A lot of it I did take on myself because I'm seeing my mom, she did get remarried and we had, you know, the two more children and I did feel like I wanted to help because my older siblings, they, was leaving out the back door. You know a lot of the times when, when, when I was coming home, but you know I really was I guess I couldn't say empathetic to my mom, but I watched her and I watched, you know it wasn't easy for her and wanted to. I wanted to be there and I wanted to help her and you know I think she would admit that she relied, you know, on my help as well. So you know, and some people may disagree and say well, you know, it's not a child's place and and you know everybody has their opinion, but at the same time, like I did try to help as much as I could cause it wasn't easy, you know, especially for her.

Home Responsibilities and School Balance

Speaker 1 6:54

So I know that, like some kids go home and it's really hard to do homework Like maybe they don't have wifi or maybe they don't have time or they can't figure out a quiet place to do things. Um, thinking back on middle school or high school and coming home and having work to do what, what would you say was the most difficult part of that piece?

Speaker 2 7:23

And, if I can be completely honest, I don't want you to, you know, think differently of me, it was, I didn't, I didn't have there was nobody stopping me from working.

Speaker 2 7:34

There was. It was stuff. Yes, there was stuff that I was exposed to as a child. That was for me, the exposure was the hard part, seeing it, being able to see that the struggle, seeing the hardship that every day, you know, my mom was going through and that I was being able to witness. You know, when it came to financial, when it came to her, you know, mentally, and just watching her trying to do her best in that time, yes, that part was hard, you know, for me. But at the same time, if anything, my mom was kicking us out the door to go to school.

Speaker 2 8:10

And it's so funny because, you know, I remember, and my other children who do have that story, where they're like, hey, I didn't have, I had to work to pay the bills, like I've seen stories and watching dr phil, where you know that this child he was at the time like 16 years old had to quit school so he can work to take right. You know, honestly, I didn't, I did choose and it was distracting was being in an environment where the resources were limited and having a mother who had to deal with mental issues. My mom has bipolar depression, I mean bipolar disease. So you know, dealing with that people are familiar with that disease it is not easy, especially with having a lot of children. And you know, financially, again, we didn't have a lot, um so it, I didn't have none.

Speaker 2 9:08

I had more than the capability to do the homework, um, so the only thing that was a distraction was, yeah, you, you got real life going on, um, right, right, understand, like you know I, you know it's, and it's not even at the real life, you know, was more important than the work, because I think for other children I can't speak for other children you know, in my situation I had a similar story, but you understood why you were at school, you understood that this was a pathway to having a better life, that this was a pathway to having a better life, right, and you chose, you were extremely successful and you were extremely driven and I really attribute.

Speaker 1 9:51

You really took that seriously. I did have students that had to go with their parents in the evening. They were like cleaning office buildings and taking care of their younger siblings, and so you know teachers don't understand all the time that the evenings are a lot more challenging, and so it's not necessarily a kid doesn't want to do their homework, but they have other other challenges that they're faced with. So, thinking back on your k to 12, yes, and you stayed focused. And what helped you to stay focused? That you knew that school was really important.

Speaker 2 10:38

Yes, I think, just to kind of briefly touch back on the last topic and the point that you made, that sometimes teachers don't understand, right, that there are children who are having different possibilities of having to quit school, to go through that and under and being open to that. You know, I think that's a tough situation, right, because you still have to hold these students accountable, because you can't pass them if they're not doing the work you know you can't grade them if you don't have nothing on.

Speaker 2 11:06

So I do think that's an interesting topic to think about. What are the resources that these teachers can provide? And I feel like you yourself had a big part to add in that, because you took it upon yourself to be there to support. I think you even took me to a doctor appointment one time I did go to the doctors with you one time.

Speaker 2 11:25

I think, if anything, you yourself can really speak to how you help children in those situations and how you can be a resource, because never once did I feel judged, never once did you, you know, overstep, never once did you, you know, make it about you. You just was there to help in any way that you could help. So I feel like, if anything, I give a lot of credit to you and you are more, you're very experienced in how to do that, because you didn't have to, you know.

Speaker 1 11:53

I did it because I cared, but not everybody has time to go to a doctor's appointment.

Speaker 2 12:00

Exactly. You know it's about like what, but what you could offer. You did Right, right, so I think that's a big point. And then, going back, you said to your next question about how I stay focused through K through 12. Correct, that was your next question, right.

Breaking the Cycle Through Education

Speaker 1 12:14

And I said what you you realized the seriousness and the value of education, what helped you to to forge forward and try to work toward the goal of graduating like graduating high school. That was huge.

Speaker 2 12:32

Yeah, for me personally, I think what helped, what kept me motivated, was wanting a better life. You know, I came from, like I said, my life, my childhood, was perfect, you know, and one thing I can say is that my mom tried the best that she could with what she could. And, yes, on the outside, maybe some people and some people did try to take us or try to say that we didn't belong there, but when I look back I really appreciate her and commend her, especially now being a mother and seeing how hard it is. So in that time I didn't completely understand all that and the only thing I did understand was that I wanted better.

Speaker 2 13:16

I wanted better for my children, I wanted better for myself and I knew that getting an education was the pathway to doing that, because my mom, regardless of what people may say or people may believe, she taught us lessons. She taught us about life. It was blunt, it was real, it was raw, but she made sure that she let us know like, hey, you need to make sure that she gets education, go to college. So she was there, encouraging in the best way that she could, and I knew that from what I came from and what people we were the first generation, I was the second one in my family to go to college. So you know, looking at it, what kept me going, what kept me focused, was that what I was looking back on if I didn't and I didn't want more for myself. So that's what kept me going.

Speaker 1 14:03

Well, you're definitely breaking the cycle. So when you were a senior and actually I think before you were a senior you had moved to Bellefonte, which for those that don't know anything about where I live, bellefonte is kind of the surrounding town and you had been going to Bellefonte School District. But when you were a senior you moved out of your home and in with your college age sister and you graduated from State High. So can you explain how you maneuver that?

Speaker 2 14:39

Yeah, I do think a lot came from how independent I was raised and a lot of that came also as a consequence or an effect of having so many children. I'm pretty sure people who came from large families can relate to you having to grow up. They even say some children start growing up faster when they have another sibling on the way. You know, they start maturing. So we were raised very, very much like to be self resilient self, I guess, to take care of ourselves. So, and some was intentionally and some was unintentionally resilient self, I guess, to take care of ourselves. So, and some was intentionally, some was unintentionally we kind of got that, you know, understood or gained that skill set, I guess. However you want to frame it or we want to categorize it as so, for me I was ready by the time. I knew I wanted to come back to State College. I knew I wanted to come back to State College. I knew I wanted to come back here and when it came to my 16th birthday, that was the deal that I was able to move out on my 16th birthday and my mom would allow my sister to be my guardian. So I waited till my 16th birthday. I was completely ready.

Speaker 2 15:43

I didn't need to be home anymore, so I worked. I worked at two jobs. I worked at a waffle shop on the weekends, I worked from the, and then, also on the weekends, the waffle shop. I would work at the Greek at night and when you're young, you know the energy that you have is ridiculous. So that's how I maneuvered it. I was from being raised to be very independent and self-resilient, reliant, and to also be with me, kind of just having that drive wanting to get where I wanted to go, and I knew that what I had to do. I was in a DO program, so you go to school for half the day, so I went to school half the day and I worked the other half at the Greek. So I just kind of I knew what I needed to do and I didn't think too much about it, I just executed. So in that time I worked, I went to school and I, you know, graduated from there.

Speaker 1 16:41

Did you have to pay rent, mm hmm.

Speaker 2 16:44

Yeah, I had to pay bill. I took a tribute as well. Of course, my sister was there too, and you know she's two years older, so you know it was. We worked, we, we did together you know, everything during that time.

Moving Out at 16

Speaker 2 17:00

I like again, I really appreciate my sister because, you know, she's 18 and she don't have to take in you know, a 16 year old and she did and she she, you know was there and we supported one another through that. We lived in a little studio like a little apartment and she, she supported me through that time and we supported each other. And it was now looking back I'm like as an 18 year old, you know, taking responsibility for a 16 year old and as an 18-year-old taking responsibility for a 16-year-old. That's amazing. So we grew up that way. We had each other, we always had each other and in the end we had each other's back. So just that support.

Speaker 1 17:41

Wow, I think you should feel extremely proud. There's a lot of 16-year-olds that couldn't live on their own and you, really, you saw what was important and you were driven and you did it and I'm extremely proud of you. So a few more questions. So now you are a mother and your son is thriving and, um, he's going to be going to school in the not too distant future. So if you were to give teachers some advice about students that may be challenging academically or challenging with their home life, is there a piece of advice you would give to teachers?

Speaker 2 18:28

Yeah, so, as you said, my son he's, he's entering school and thank you, jesus, that, um, I was able to provide him with a whole different life. Um, then, then, what I, what I came from, and again, there's no uh shade or anything to my mom she did the best she could do, what she had, um, and what she knew. So, looking at that kind of more so, looking at myself, and it would you know what I kind of, what I would want to give as a suggestion to teach children more so that came from my circumstances or circumstances similar, um, I would say don't assume, don't assume, like you said, you didn't, you didn't know, you know, um, don't assume, don't, don't stereotype, don't put your own ideas of what's going on. You know, and I think a lot of times, especially within our town, you know within that, especially in that small town, where it's not we're growing in diversity and we're growing in you know, our mindsets and stuff. But I mean, I'm sure you remember how it used to be and it was more close minded and people did assume, and I remember that as a kid, like people would assume what I was going through. They're not, they're not asking, they're not trying to find out but assuming, and then also in there having their responses from that, like I remember I was not to put up we ain't gonna say the name of the teacher.

Speaker 2 19:51

I had a teacher and uh, she was my sewing teacher and uh, I remember I I cut for getting to bring the money to to make these pants, these, like you know, for a project. And I finally remember I was like and I kept telling I forgot beginning and I'm gonna tell my mom. I asked my mom. So I asked my mom, say I need it was like a couple dollars I need for these pants. And my mom said, okay, yeah, she gave me money for the pants and I took it to school and I was really shy as a kid, as you can remember, and I was. I waited till the end of the class to tell her that I have it and I went up and I gave her this money and I was like, yes, finally I forgot, I remembered to get rid of money. And I remember she looked at me and she goes oh, it's okay, and she gave me the money back and she said go buy yourself something nice at lunch, but you wanted to pay.

Advice for Teachers

Speaker 2 20:43

I could, and it made me feel like she was making me feel disadvantaged. She made me feel like, why can't you take my money? Go buy yourself something nice at lunch, not to put my business out there, but I get free lunch. Yeah, I got it, we're good. So I used it. I said, oh, at that age I learned I was in middle school and I looked and I was like, oh, how do you know? Why would you just assume that I can't? You know my family can't pay and you know my family can't pay and you know. With that I said, well, you want to be ignorant? I guess I'll take it and go give me a big cookie.

Speaker 2 21:31

You know, I think not assuming, because when you don't understand how you're making those students feel, when you assume and you're not, you know I think the best thing is creating that space. You're creating a space for the children to be comfortable enough to actually let you know what is happening. And you know we're not. You're not assuming off of color or you're not assuming off of what you hear around the town, but there's signs that you're looking for. Is the child coming to school? Is the child clean? You know, are they seeming to be saying there should be signs. I'm pretty sure that teachers also taught to look for, to kind of put your antennas up to say, hey, you know, maybe I should kind of spend some attention or maybe trying to create a space where that child feels comfortable enough to open up to me, and then I can get a better understanding of what support do they need, what can offer and what support can I give them, you know, outside wise. So is that that kind of answer.

Speaker 1 22:21

That's great. That's great. That was a really that was a really interesting story. So we are going to be wrapping this up Before I asked you my last question. Is there anything else that you feel is really important that you didn't get a chance to share?

Speaker 2 22:37

um, I feel like just speaking and I know that probably a lot of teachers are more so watching this um but speaking to those children that are going through and in kind of having different you know struggles or struggle works or more, or whatever you want to view it, then when I went through, I feel like for those children, I think what I want to kind of say, or the message that I want to give out, is that sometimes life is not easy and you go through periods where you are learning and you don't have nothing to pull from. But you're going through that time and you're learning and you're navigating. But keep in mind and keep have faith and understand that at the end of the day, this is just a time. Embrace it, take what you can learn from it. Don't give up and keep going, stay positive, stay focused, stay focused on school, stay focused on church and exposure. I think that was the biggest thing for me, coming from you know what I did come from and having what I did have, being exposed to a life that was so much more. Seeing people having and doing so much more is vital, you know, to these children. And having exposure, having something positive, having that faith, the God. God, you know, every time anybody asks me, who helps you, god does, jesus helps me, god helps me. And that right, there was having that facism, having something that grounded me that I knew, no matter who was there or not, there was going to be there and was going to be with me through it. So I think that is just what I want to add, to even to even.

Speaker 2 24:13

Maybe teachers can tell these children it is hard and I know it. I don't know it's hard, I don't, I can't, I can't, I can't tell you I know what it feels like. What I can tell you is that many people have traveled through these roles and, at the end of the day, when they persevere, when they stay strong, when they kept going, even if it's not, if it's just crawling to that finish line, just keep going ahead. You know, one foot a step, one foot ahead of the other, and at the end of the day, you know there's something on that other side for you, the toughest stories that you go through. A lot of the times their purpose is so great that they had to go through what they had to go through so they can be prepared for that and handle what it is to come for them, so so that's what I did.

Self-Care and Wellness Practices

Speaker 1 24:56

Well, you did a great job and you really have through your tough times. You really really have chosen to just forge ahead, even in the difficulties. So this podcast is wellness for educators and we are going to be wrapping this up. But the goal of the podcast isn't to encourage educators to take care of their own health. So what do you do to take care of your health?

Speaker 2 25:27

Um, for me, what I do to take care of my health is, um, I'm not. I do a lot of time. I do spiritual meditations where I relax and get into a meditative state, and I do it's kind of like free writing, free form writing, but it's within prayer. So I pray a lot. I take time to myself. I think that's vital. I'm an introvert, so that's where I get my energy. Understanding where you can get refilled and where you get your energy from is vital. But just taking time to yourself Journaling, I think, is great.

Speaker 2 26:02

I feel like the biggest thing when it comes to health is checking in and knowing and understanding where you're at, what you need and what's going on within you, because sometimes life gets so busy and you're going and you're going, you're going and you're not really taking time to stop and check on you.

Speaker 2 26:18

So for me, like with life, it gets busy and it goes, but I still prioritize and try to find time to cut out to do things that fill me. Like for last point, in the mornings I listen to something motivational. I don't want to, I really don't. But even if I don't want to, I turn it on and I just listen to it because I know that's going to help me through that day. That's going to get my day started right, so even doing things that you don't want to do, like eating veggies. So I think that right there is just focus on your health, prioritizing it, and sometimes it's doing things you don't want to do, but it's going to make you feel good. Prioritizing it, and sometimes it's doing things you don't want to do, but it's going to make you feel good.

Speaker 1 26:56

Well, I think that's great advice for such a young person. And how old are you now? I am a whopping 30 years old 30 years old. Wow, you're a wise woman for 30 years old. So, as we conclude this episode, I sincerely want to thank Ms Anjaleka today for being so brave to share with us. I am certainly you have found our conversation valuable, so thank you, thank you. Thank you, angelica. I really appreciate you being on the podcast.

Speaker 2 27:28

Thank, you, Mrs. Maxfield, don't know.

Speaker 1 27:32

She is an amazing, amazing woman and how you don't need to say all that, that's fine.

Speaker 2 27:39

Oh, I put it in there. She's amazing.

Final Thoughts on Resilience

Speaker 1 27:42

Well, thank you. Thank you, I appreciate that. So, as we think about teachers helping students to become resilient, we need to review the definition. What is resilience? Resilience is the ability to bounce back from adversity. It is a necessary skill for coping with life's inevitable obstacles and one of the key ingredients to success Learning to bounce back and to bounce forward. As educators, we need to learn to be resilient, but we need to help our students, especially those that may have been faced with greater challenges. We are innately resilient, but fear, insecurity and doubt can take over in moments of stress or anxiety. These responses can affect our ability to draw on our own resilience.

Speaker 1 28:30

We need to create a supportive learning environment. Create student progress, not all focused on success. Provide a sense of belonging within your school communities. Our students need to know we care and we believe in them. Remember I am here cheering for you. Thanks to Ron Coleman for providing the music and thanks to you for being a positive influence to the future generation. The music and thanks to you for being a positive influence to the future generation. You are a true hero. You need to be well, to teach well, Find joy in the journey. This is Lori Maxfield and I thank you for listening to Wellness for Educators. If you have a friend that might benefit from this podcast, please pass it along. I look forward to connecting with you in just a few more weeks. Until that time, remember practice self-care.