Yesenia Rodriguez, a student in the School of Social Work, has been selected to be the student speaker at the College of Arts and Sciences Commencement ceremony on May 9.

Rodriguez will earnĀ a Bachelor of Social Work. She has been heavily involved in the organization Colleges Against Cancer as a member and as president for two years and was a leader in organizing one of the largest philanthropic events on campus, Relay for Life.

Rodriguez received the Erica Hunter Heart of Relay award in 2013 for her dedication to the fight against cancer. Rodriguez was the undergraduate representative for the School of Social Work Community Advisory Board. She was also a member of the national service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega. She dedicated large amounts of her free time giving back to the community by volunteering at Passages Hospice and interning at the Community Health Care Clinic.

Rodriguez will be attending graduate school in the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.