Sarah Rodriguez, Ph.D.
635 Prices Fork Rd
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Courses Taught
ENGE 5224 Disciplinary Literacy: Theorizing and Writing in Engineering Education
ENGE 5304 Graduate Student Success in Multicultural Environments (GSSME)
ENGE 6624 Qualitative Data Analysis for Research in Engineering Education
Education
PhD, Higher Education Leadership - Mexican American Studies Portfolio,
University of Texas at Austin, 2015
MS, Educational Leadership & Policy Studies - College Student Personnel, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2010
BA, English & Spanish - Higher Education Honors Thesis, Texas A&M University – Commerce, 2008
Certificate, Intensive Spanish Language, Culture & Civilization, Universidad de Granada, Andalucía, Spain, Centro de Lenguas Modernas, 2007
Research Interests
- Student Success
- Workforce Development for Engineering & Computing
- Community Colleges
- Rural Students
- Artificial Intelligence & Institutional Capacity-building
Research Statement
Dr. Rodriguez’s research expertise includes using individual- and systems-level frameworks to study the professional formation, student success, and workforce development of engineering and computing students. Her strengths include a research-to-practice approach with practitioners, particularly for enhancing outcomes for community college and rural students.
Biography
Sarah L. Rodriguez is an Associate Professor of Engineering Education and an affiliate faculty member with the Higher Education Program at Virginia Tech. Dr. Rodriguez is also affiliated with the Center for Educational Networks and Impacts (CENI) and has served as a VT Center for Rural Education Scholar in Residence. Her work is featured in scholarly outlets such as The Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, Computer Science Education, and The Review of Higher Education as well as in policy-based media outlets like Education Commission of the States’ Strong Start to Finish Series. Dr. Rodriguez is co-editor of the award-winning book, Latin* Students in Engineering: An Intentional Focus on a Growing Populationand new book, Supporting Latinas in Engineering and Computing: A Chicana Feminist Approach. She received her PhD in Higher Education Leadership and a certificate in Mexican American Studies from The University of Texas at Austin and holds a master's degree with a focus in College Student Personnel from The University of Tennessee. She holds a bachelor's degree in English and Spanish from Texas A&M University-Commerce and was a transfer student from Trinity Valley Community College. She is also a proud Bill and Melinda Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) Program Alum, born and raised in rural East Texas with family roots in the Rio Grande Valley.
Professional Affiliations
- American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE)
- American Educational Research Association (AERA)
- Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE)
- Council for the Study of Community Colleges (CSCC)
- American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE)
- Book of the Year, Edited Volume, American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE), 2025
- Rising Star in Diversity Award, Collaborative Network for Engineering and Computing Diversity (CoNECD), 2025
- Women in Engineering Proactive Network (WEPAN) Betty Vetter Research Award, 2025
- Latina/o/x Research Issues SIG Early Career Scholar Award, American Educational Research Association (AERA), 2021
- Early Career Award, American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE), 2020
- Barbara K. Townsend Emerging Scholar Award, Council for the Study of Community Colleges (CSCC), 2020
Rodriguez, S.L. (2025). Supporting Latinas in Engineering and Computing: A Chicana Feminist Approach. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
Perez-Felkner, L., Rodriguez, S.L., Fluker, C. (2024). Latin* Students in Engineering: An Intentional Focus on a Growing Population. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
Rodriguez, S. L., Doran, E., Updegraff, A., Sabrowsky, J., & Stevens, A. R. (2024). Design thinking in online spaces: How students develop their engineering identities. International Journal of Education in Mathematics, Science and Technology, 12(5), 1273-1292.
Rodriguez, S.L. & Ross, A. (2024). How Offering a Free Introductory AI Computing Course at a Hispanic-serving Community College Influences Computing Interests for Enrolled Students. Computer Science Education.
Rodriguez, S.L., Espino, M., & Hightower, H. (2024). Building and Maintaining an Engineering Identity: How Engineering Students Navigate Community College Stigma Prior to Transfer. Community College Journal of Research and Practice.
Rodriguez, S.L., Espino, M.E., Le, B., Cunningham, K. (2021). The Influence of Policy Implementation in the Midwest: How an SSTEM Program Broadens Participation and Enhances Engineering Identity for Community College Students. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 29(29), 1-28.