Pursuing Purpose: How Gisele Rodriguez ’26 MS Found Her Path in Villanova’s MSHRD Program

A career in human resources is something many professionals "stumble into" rather than seek out. What happens when you pursue it with intention? Villanova University graduate student Gisele Rodriguez ’26 MS had a non-linear path to her goals, but as she shared with us, there are many more paths open to you when you have a clear vision in mind. 

Graduating from high school at the start of the pandemic, Rodriguez enrolled in a fully virtual business program that shifted to in-person after her first semester. Since commuting to campus wasn’t feasible, she transferred to her local community college to complete her business administration associates degree while working at a jewelry retail store.  

“I was promoted to assistant store manager at just 19 years old. That’s where I was unexpectedly introduced to hiring, interviewing and training,” she said.  

After an early career internship with an HR consulting firm, Rodriguez joined the company full time working as an HR administrator directly assisting the president and principal Consultant, exposing her to high-level HR strategy across diverse organizations and functions. At the same time, she realized that many HR professionals she encountered had started this career path “accidentally.” The fact that she had found HR early on, and had been able to pursue it with intention, led her to create opportunities for others.  

While studying at William Paterson University in New Jersey, Rodriguez founded the university’s first student group dedicated to the study of HR—The Human Resources Leadership Association, or HRLA—and recently, she was invited back to her alma mater to speak as an alumni panelist for a networking event meant to connect current students of HRLA with HR professionals in the field . She focused her talk on a snapshot of her typical day to show students how much variation they could expect.  

“HR isn’t just hiring and firing. Every single day looks different, and that’s what makes it exciting. I think there’s still that notion that it’s mainly administrative work,” she said.  

Considering her focus and drive, it might be surprising that Rodriguez almost never embarked on this journey.  

“So many things went wrong at first. I switched schools a bunch of times…so many things could have stopped me along the way and made me feel school is not for me. I shared that experience [with the class] to show there’s so many paths to take if you have a clear vision in mind,” she said.  

After finally completing a BS in Human Resources Management from William Paterson, Gisele heard of Villanova through her boss at the HR consultancy. “I knew I wanted to pursue my master’s degree, and it was the only school I applied to. She said it was a fabulous program. When I received a graduate assistant position, I thought it was meant to be.”  

While she had some reservations about pursuing her MS in Human Resource Development online, the strong engagement of her classmates changed her mind. “I thought going to school online meant I wouldn’t make friends, and that couldn’t have been further from the truth.”  

For others considering further education to advance their career as working professionals, Rodriguez said, “Go for it. If you’re thinking about it, just dive in … [higher education] opens your perspective to so many other things; there’s always something deeper—one of the hardest classes in the program for me is Employment Law. It was challenging, but I genuinely loved it so much, and because of that class, I’ve been leaning into the idea of pursuing a law degree next.” 

When we asked Rodriguez how she sees her future in human resources, she discussed her nuanced approach to promoting inclusive workplaces and hiring practices.  

“Regardless of your background and experience, the information you can bring to the role and different insights—I think that’s valuable in an organization,” she said. “I would love to create an environment where people feel comfortable bringing their full authentic selves to work. Considering how I’d like to be as a leader, I want my team to know that it’s okay if their current role is a steppingstone for them. I would be more than happy to help them any way I can to help them further grow, develop, and prepare to take the next step towards their ultimate career goal.”  

Access to Villanova’s HRD program and the greater HR community helped to inform her philosophy.  

“One of the earlier certification courses I took [about neurodivergence in the workplace] taught me many valuable insights that I now apply and share with others,” she said. “For example, I learned that some people may be uncomfortable with eye contact, yet they’re highly intelligent individuals and are fully capable professionals. While their social behaviors may not align with traditional expectations of professionalism, I think it’s important to reinforce that professionalism can take many different forms and anyone can be a professional.”  

Gisele Rodriguez’s story reminds us that the most impactful leaders never stop learning and advocate for the growth of everyone around them.