Meet Your Advisor - Isela Rodriguez

Where did you study abroad?

Isela sitting next to some panda statues outside of Namsan Seoul Tower in Seoul, South Korea.

I studied in Seoul, South Korea in Summer of 2022 at Kookmin University.

What is your favorite memory from your time abroad?

Isela holding a signed lock on the gate around Namsan Seoul Tower in Seoul, South Korea. I loved our class field trip to Namsan Seoul Tower. We got to put locks on the gates around the tower.

I also got to sit up at the top of the tower by myself for a moment and it felt like all the hard work and planning to study abroad paid off. It finally hit me that I was studying abroad in Korea in that moment!

What is your favorite place you've traveled?

A dish of typical Korean food in Seoul, South Korea. I haven’t traveled to many places outside of the U.S. I’ve only been to different cities in Mexico, South Korea, and Japan.

But, South Korea has been my favorite. The food, lifestyle, and energy is so unique and amazing!

What is your funniest travel memory?

Isela and friends standing next to the "DMZ" sign in Seoul, South Korea. During my second visit to Seoul, South Korea, my friends and I planned a visit to the Korean DMZ (the Demilitarized Zone) between South and North Korea. However, while we slept the night before, they changed the time we had to arrive at our meet up spot for the bus tour. When we woke up, we realized we had a short time to get ready and go. I was banging on both my friend’s doors and finally got them up. We barely made it to our bus.

I can’t imagine what the people thought seeing us run through the subway station and up those steps to our meet up spot!

If you could go on any USAC program, what would it be and why?

I would go to Prague, Czech Republic. I have a Bachelor’s of Art degree with an emphasis in Printmaking so I would love to experience the art world in Prague.

What do you like to do outside of work?

I am a printmaker, so I love spending time creating art!

I love to watch all kinds of reality/game shows. Some of my favorites are The Amazing Race, Survivor, Big Brother, Below Deck Med, and Jersey Shore.

I also love building jigsaw puzzles!

What is a weird fact about you?

I am super into ghost hunting. I love all the ghost hunting shows and have also done many tours around Nevada, and even some out of state.

What's on your bucket list?

Go to Fiji.
Go on The Amazing Race.
Learn how to swim.
Go to the national puzzle building competition.

What's a meme that describes your life?

A meme with a blue background and neon stars with a person laying in a bed in the middle, with text that reads "due to not wanting to, I will not. thanks."