From soldiers to students: Husband, wife will graduate from Penn State together

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A husband and wife who went back to school after serving in the Army and starting a family will mark another major milestone together.

In just a few days, Joel and Vanezza Rodriguez, of Winnebago, Illinois, will graduate from Penn State together with the same degree. They will travel from Illinois to attend Penn State’s spring 2025 commencement ceremonies at the University Park campus the weekend of May 9-11.

The two have been working toward their bachelor’s degrees, in human development and family studies (HDFS), after transitioning out of the military and juggling life, children, pets and their own jobs. They found success as online learners at Penn State through Penn State World Campus.

As graduates, Joel and Vanezza know the power of education. They are both the first generation of their families to go to college, and in college, they strengthened a drive to help their fellow human beings. They will also pursue master’s degrees so they can use their education to help others.

“Obtaining my degree is not only a milestone but sets the standard for my children that if Mom and Dad can do it, so can you,” Joel said.

“Being able to go to the military and then graduating with a bachelor’s degree means a lot to my family,” Vanezza said. “As a first-generation student, in my family, this milestone feels surreal. There are no other words to explain this emotion.”

From soldiers to students

The Rodriguezes met in 2017 in the Army. College degrees weren’t at the forefront of their minds as they planned on long military careers.

They married and started a family, but Joel’s deployments took him away from home. He began to have second thoughts about being a career soldier. He wanted to be home with his family and wondered how he would support his family if he transitioned out of the military.

Getting his bachelor’s degree to start a new career path was something that crossed his mind. However, he didn’t want to have to commute to a university and miss the time with his family he would gain.

When Joel started researching options for going back to school, he discovered that he could get a Penn State degree online. He grew up in Big Ten country — in the Chicago area — and enjoyed watching Penn State football.

It was perfect. A Penn State education online would provide him with what he needed — the path to a new career while learning online at home and being around his family. He enrolled in May 2022.

“I saw the opportunity for me to actually obtain my degree and still go to a prestigious school while being with my family,” Joel said. “It checked every block for me. That’s why I decided to go with Penn State.”

Vanezza changed her perspective on college after they started a family. She got an associate degree at a local college in Rockford, Illinois, and worked as a dental assistant. It didn’t feel like the career she wanted, though, and she decided to join her husband at Penn State online.

She enrolled a year later, in May 2023.

Learning online at Penn State

As Army veterans, the Rodriguezes used the Post-9/11 GI Bill education benefit for their Penn State online degrees.

They started their Penn State student journeys as psychology majors and eventually switched to human development and family studies, with minors in psychology. They both found that the focus on improving people’s lives resonated with them and set them on a path for careers in human services.

They had the chance to take some courses together and study together. They joked that they had different groups for the group projects.

They also praised their professors, who are on the faculty of the Penn State College of Health and Human Development. Joel said the professors were always accessible and made them feel right at home.

During a particularly hectic stretch within the same year, when Vanezza was pregnant and when they delivered their dog’s nine puppies, they appreciated their professors’ understanding and flexibility of their life outside the online classroom.

“It’s things like that that are small, but just knowing that they’re willing to work with you as long as you communicate with them really meant the world to both [of us],” Joel said. “It was another plus for the experience of the professors in the HDFS program.”

“They’re very understanding that we have a life out of school,” Vanezza said. “Because of them, we’re able to graduate together and share this moment with our little ones.”

Cementing a legacy of learning for their families

Graduating from college is an achievement for the Rodriguezes, who are first-generation college students in their families.

It is especially meaningful for Vanezza, who is the first in her family to have gone past the sixth grade and is using her education to have an impact in her community.

The human development and family studies major requires students to complete an internship. For Vanezza’s internship, she worked in her local school district to support non-native-English-speaking schoolchildren, many of whom were Hispanic, so they would not fall behind.

“I would help them understand what their work at school was,” she said. “I would explain the class material to them in Spanish and state it again in English, so that they can make a connection. I know what it’s like — both of my parents are immigrants. It touched home.”

Joel said he feels rewarded by helping people, and like his wife, his internship gave him the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives. Joel has been working as a finance and office manager for a church in Beloit, Wisconsin, and he took on a pastoral associate internship position there. Through the internship, he is supporting residents in the city who do not have homes or those who ask for assistance accessing resources.

He said people may need something as basic as water or food, and he will work with them to create a plan to explore the resources in the community.

“I just feel like I was put on this Earth to help people,” he said. “Nothing beats that rewarding feeling or seeing someone who you helped get better.”

The Rodriguezes will continue their education to learn how to make a positive impact.

Vanezza plans to stay home with their young children during the summer and will continue with a master’s degree in the fall to become a board-certified behavioral analyst.

Joel has been accepted into a master’s degree in positive psychology program that he will start this summer.

A Penn State degree online

Penn State World Campus has been offering a Penn State education online for more than 25 years.

The bachelor’s degree in human development and family studies is part of the comprehensive selection of more than 200 degrees and certificates that are available online.

Visit the Penn State World Campus website for more information about learning online at Penn State.