Mrs. Gladys Rodriguez is the secretary of the Student Services office, the main face you see when you enter the office. She is our first subject in a new feature we are calling “Unsung Heroes,” giving you a view into some of the lesser-known people who make Cypress a special place to be.

Mrs. Rodriguez was born and raised in Fort Myers, Florida, but her parents are from Puerto Rico. She has been at Cypress for, in her words, quite some time. She graduated in 1982 and has worked at Cypress since 1999. Before entering Cypress she worked at Spring Creek and later got transferred to a school in East Fort Myers. Describing how she came to return to her alma mater, she said, “My friend called me and said, hey, you know I’m switching positions; do you want to come this way?”

At first, she started by working in the ESE department. Back then, since she was one of few bilingual speakers, the school found it better if she was in an office position, which is why she is now the secretary of Student services.

Originally, she had wanted to be a teacher, as she had always loved the idea of working with children.

“I guess after growing up in a big family, it’s just something you get used to, telling your younger siblings what to do and taking care of them.”

Her favorite parts of high school were hanging out with friends and having fun. Her least favorite part was math. “Algebra, like them talking French, did not understand a thing!” She says her favorite part of her job now is interacting with the kids. Though her least favorite part would have to be “Monday mornings!” or translating bad news to a parent.

As for her hero, her mother takes the cake with that one. “She was a widow of nine of us and never remarried, so she took care of business and we all got through it with her.”

One last piece of advice she wants to give students is to get involved. “I think you need to be concentrating on your studies but have fun at the same time.”