Grace Rodriguez
Impact Hub Houston
Houston, TX USA
"The one thing that can make or break a person’s venture is how passionate they are about the problem, not how passionate they are about the solution."
Career Roadmap
Grace's work combines: Business, Entrepreneurship, and Working with Others
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
College is a great option for some people but not all people. A degree is necessary for some careers but not all careers. I dropped out of college and learned not to let the stigma define me. I became comfortable in what I've accomplished rather than let a piece of paper—or lack thereof—define my success. Whether you go to college or not, I'd recommend focusing on building a portfolio. Show people what you've done, what you're currently working on, and what you'd like to do with their help.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
I initially thought I wanted to become a cardiothoracic surgeon after watching a surgery demonstration.
2.
I got into Columbia University as a pre-med student but ended up leaving during my sophomore year because I felt burnt out.
3.
After taking some time to travel and figure out what I wanted to do, I moved back to New York and transferred to Parsons School of Design to pursue fashion design.
4.
I felt like I didn’t have the resources to become successful in fashion, so I pivoted to working in marketing.
5.
I was working on Wall Street when I started feeling burnt out again, so I took some time off, moved to Houston, Texas, and tried out a variety of different jobs and industries.
6.
I eventually started my own marketing agency, which led to me connecting with Mercury Fund and becoming a co-founder of Station Houston, where I helped tech entrepreneurs launch and scale start-ups.
7.
From Station Houston, I moved on to Impact Hub Houston where, as CEO and executive director, I’m able to create more impact and emphasize things that are important to me, like diversity and inclusion.
8.
In addition to my work with Impact Hub Houston, I’m also a board member for Downtown Houston and the City of Houston Office of Business Opportunity.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
You have to go to college to be successful.
How I responded:
College is a great option for some people but not all people. A degree is necessary for some careers but not all careers. I dropped out of college and learned not to let the stigma define me. I became comfortable in what I've accomplished rather than let a piece of paper—or lack thereof—define my success. Whether you go to college or not, I'd recommend focusing on building a portfolio. Show people what you've done, what you're currently working on, and what you'd like to do with their help.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
In college, I didn't really feel like I fit in with the rest of the students. I was also working at the same time and quickly felt burnt out. I had to take some time off to explore and figure out what I wanted to do.