In one of their last conversations, Melvin Rodriguez made a promise to his grandmother that he would help patients fighting the cancer that was taking her life. \u201cIt was a promise to myself, a promise to serve and a promise to my grandmother,\u201d he says. \u201cShe\u2019s been my driving force.\u201d<\/p>\n
A dozen years later, that promise is coming true. A first-generation student from Camden, New Jersey, Rodriguez is graduating in May 2026 with a\u00a0Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology<\/a>\u00a0and minors in\u00a0Chemistry<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Classics<\/a>\u00a0from Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, and will attend medical school.<\/p>\n That promise has shaped his time at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, especially his work in the lab with zebrafish to better understand cancer. Rodriguez dove into research focused on melanoma and fertility, presented his work at conferences and mentored fellow pre-med students \u2013 all while balancing rigorous science courses with Honors<\/a>\u00a0and Classics seminars.<\/p>\n