Paula Rodriguez-Saenz: Garnet & Gold Scholar Society inductee
By Rose Jackson
In an April 25 ceremony at Florida State University’s Student Union, the Garnet and Gold Scholar Society welcomed 113 new inductees. Recent alumna Paula Rodriguez-Saenz is one of those new inductees; she graduated in the spring of 2023 with dual bachelor’s degrees in English-Creative Writing and political science.
Since 2010, the Garnet and Gold Scholar Society has facilitated and recognized undergraduate student involvement and excellence. To qualify for this Society, students must excel within and beyond FSU in three out of five criteria: international experience; internship; leadership; research; and service.
Along with this engagement criteria, students must compose a synthesis reflection project in their final semester before graduation. Inductees are recognized during their graduation ceremony and their official university transcripts receive a designation of their accomplishment. Being a GGSS member no doubt makes for an appealing résumé and a qualified recent graduate looking for a job.
Rodriguez-Saenz is from Sarasota, Florida, and she says she chose to pursue her undergraduate degrees at FSU because it was the only university in her home state that appealed to her interests and passions. Like many other former and current students, she was easily drawn in by the beautiful Tallahassee campus.
For Rodriguez-Saenz, though, the major attraction was the university’s political science program. She originally wanted to attend a university farther north, outside of Florida, but FSU’s Creative Writing Program convinced her to stay closer to home and add another major to her studies.
“I’ve always wanted to go to Barnard College at Columbia University and study creative writing there, but I decided to go to FSU,” says Rodriguez-Saenz, referring to the college in New York City.
The combination of political science and creative writing majors was an ideal academic track for Rodriguez-Saenz, as she plans to build a career in law. Her English studies have been essential in helping her with professional reading, writing, and analysis skills that are necessary for politics and law, she points out.
Rodriguez-Saenz first learned of the Garnet and Gold Scholar Society when she was applying for an internship at a law firm, which she secured.
“I’m already going to have the one requirement done, I thought, I might as well finish the other two,” she says.
Rodriguez-Saenz’s involvements outside of the classroom exemplify the duality of her degrees. She was a staff writer for FSU Her Campus, and she was a member of the law fraternity Phi Alpha Delta. She also participated in Student Government Association as a senator.
She additionally pursued the service criteria, which requires at least 200 hours, and the leadership criteria. Rodriguez-Saenz completed the service requirements by volunteering at different clubs and organizations. For leadership, she took a leadership class and held two consecutive leadership positions as an executive writer for Project Patriarchy, a nonpartisan political journalism website.
Rodriguez-Saenz’s involvements outside of the classroom exemplify the duality of her degrees. She was a staff writer for FSU Her Campus, and she was a member of the law fraternity Phi Alpha Delta. She also participated in Student Government Association as a senator.
Rodriguez-Saenz credits hard work and the trusted support of her advisor to her ultimate success in joining the GGSS.
“I honestly thought that I was not going to be able to complete it, but I did because I had to just work really hard,” she says, adding a bit of advice to others who apply: “Get an advisor because my advisor did help me a lot.”
Rodriguez-Saenz is currently a press intern for U.S. Congressman Darren Soto (FL-09), and she is working with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) program, which places undergraduate university students of Hispanic heritage in the offices of U.S. representatives or senators.
Rodriguez-Saenz says living in Washington D.C. and working in the U.S. Capitol is “pretty cool” — “You get a cool badge which lets you go underneath [the building] in the tunnels”—adding that she is living true to her career dreams.
She also enjoys the work she is doing for her current internship, specifically writing newsletters and making graphics. In her free time, Rodriguez-Saenz, who is Colombian, enjoys learning Portuguese.
Even though this internship is her “summer thing,” she has more than just summer plans.
“I’m going to take a gap year… then when I go back to Sarasota, I will start applying to law firms,” she says, hoping to secure a job in the field of law to prepare her with all the necessary skills she will need for law school and life, in general.
Rodriguez-Saenz does plan to attend law school soon, and says she is interested in international, immigration, or corporate law. She plans to stick to the law career path, but the impressive experience she is getting through her current internship is helping her develop a network of contacts, while honing her skills and interests in law, political science, and activism.
Looking at her experiences and accomplishments, past and present, Rodriguez-Saenz is a prime example of how an English major can excel in diverse professions.
Rose Jackson is a senior with a major in English-Editing, Writing, and Media and a minor in humanities.
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