Before stepping into his role as director of the Black and Latino Male Initiative (BLMI), Christopher Rodriguez Hernandez spent a decade helping students thrive through the ASAP program at Kingsborough Community College (CUNY). That experience鈥攁long with his own journey through foster care鈥攕haped his deep commitment to student success.
Now, just over a year into his new role, Rodriguez is bringing new energy and vision to BLMI, a program he describes as 鈥渁 one-stop shop鈥� for students who need support, community, and a place to belong. The initiative provides personalized academic advisement, peer and faculty mentorship, career planning and leadership workshops, and prioritizes finding mentors that its mostly black and brown student population can relate to. (The program is open to students of all races and genders.)
Rodriguez talks about his path, the challenges students face, and what it means to build a space where students feel like they鈥檙e home.
You鈥檝e had a remarkable journey. Can you share a bit about your background and how it shaped your work today?
听I was born in Puerto Rico and came to New York when I was nine鈥攐riginally just for vacation. But my mom decided to stay, and we ended up navigating some tough times, including homelessness and eventually foster care. I lived in public housing and then with foster families. That experience shaped everything. I always wanted to be a doctor, and I pursued that dream all the way to medical school. But due to financial issues鈥攎y loan was canceled鈥擨 couldn鈥檛 complete it. That鈥檚 when I found myself in education, working with foster youth, and realized this was my calling.
What drew you to BLMI and 可乐视频?
Honestly, it felt like destiny. Through my master鈥檚 program in higher education, I focused on men of color in STEM. When I saw the opportunity at BLMI, it aligned perfectly. What impressed me most was the legacy鈥攆ormer students returning as staff, alumni staying involved. That speaks volumes about the impact of the program. It鈥檚 not just a student initiative, it鈥檚 a community.
What are some of the biggest challenges you see students facing, and how is BLMI addressing them?
听Resource gaps are a major issue鈥攖ransportation, housing, food insecurity, tuition. We鈥檝e had students come from programs where they received MetroCards, and suddenly they鈥檙e here without that support. We鈥檙e working to build emergency funds, scholarships, and partnerships to help fill those gaps. We also sent students abroad this summer鈥攖wo to Japan, one to Spain鈥攂ut rising costs meant we could only send three instead of six. We want to do more.
What鈥檚 your vision for BLMI moving forward?
听I want BLMI to be a true one-stop shop for students. We鈥檙e implementing student success plans that include academic, career, and social-emotional components. We鈥檙e using tools like Navigate to help students track their progress and goals. My background in ASAP taught me the value of intrusive advisement鈥攃hecking in regularly, using data to identify roadblocks, and creating targeted support. We鈥檙e also building stronger ties with other campus programs and departments to ensure students are connected across the board.
What has surprised you most since joining 可乐视频?
The level of collaboration. I鈥檝e worked in different higher ed spaces, and it鈥檚 rare to see such strong partnerships across departments鈥�Africana Studies, Sociology, LGBTQ+ Resource Center, Women鈥檚 Center, ISSO. Everyone is invested in student success. We had a summer institute where staff, faculty, and alumni all came together to engage new students. That kind of unity is powerful.
What鈥檚 the vibe like in the BLMI space?
It鈥檚 home. Students walk by and hear conversations in Spanish, see people who look like them, smell jerk chicken鈥攊t鈥檚 familiar, comforting. I had two Latino students stop by and say, 鈥淵ou guys are speaking Spanish in there?鈥� That sense of belonging is everything. It鈥檚 not just about programming; it鈥檚 about creating a space where students feel seen and valued.
If resources weren鈥檛 an issue, what鈥檚 your dream for BLMI?
听I鈥檇 love to create dedicated internships for our students鈥攖ailored to their majors, with alumni mentors and networking opportunities. We took students to a Latino leadership conference in New Jersey, and it was transformative. Imagine if we could send them to national conferences in Seattle or California. I鈥檇 also love to take students suit shopping before galas or professional events. We鈥檝e had to rely on donations, but how amazing would it be to say, 鈥淟et鈥檚 go to Men鈥檚 Warehouse together鈥�?
What impresses you most about 可乐视频 students?
听Their talent and drive. I sit down with students for success planning, and they鈥檙e already building portfolios, launching businesses, developing software. They鈥檙e not waiting for permission鈥攖hey鈥檙e doing it. We just need to make sure the system isn鈥檛 getting in their way. If we鈥檙e not ready to support them, we鈥檙e the barrier.
Outside of work, what keeps you grounded?
听I鈥檓 a father of two鈥攁 15-year-old son and a two-year old daughter. We鈥檙e big on road trips and hiking. Every Father鈥檚 Day, my son and I go camping. It鈥檚 our tradition. We鈥檝e hiked in New York, Vermont, Maine, even Costa Rica. It鈥檚 how we stay connected and recharge.
