{"id":227820,"date":"2026-05-04T12:38:35","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T16:38:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/?p=227820"},"modified":"2026-05-04T12:38:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T16:38:35","slug":"a-promise-to-his-grandmother-will-carry-him-to-a-career-in-medicine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/2026\/05\/04\/a-promise-to-his-grandmother-will-carry-him-to-a-career-in-medicine\/","title":{"rendered":"A Promise to His Grandmother Will Carry Him to a Career in Medicine"},"content":{"rendered":"

In one of their last conversations, Melvin Rodriguez made a promise to his grandmother that he would help patients fighting the cancer that was taking her life. \u201cIt was a promise to myself, a promise to serve and a promise to my grandmother,\u201d he says. \u201cShe’s been my driving force.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A dozen years later, that promise is coming true. A first-generation student from Camden, New Jersey, Rodriguez is graduating in May 2026 with a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology<\/a> and minors in Chemistry<\/a> and Classics<\/a> from Montclair State University, and will attend medical school.<\/span><\/p>\n

That promise has shaped his time at Montclair, especially his work in the lab with zebrafish to better understand cancer. Rodriguez dove into research focused on melanoma and fertility, presented his work at conferences and mentored fellow pre-med students \u2013 all while balancing rigorous science courses with Honors<\/a> and Classics seminars.<\/span><\/p>\n

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With his mentor Melissa Spigelman \u201923, \u201925 MS, Rodriguez discusses how clytia jellyfish polyps will be used in the next stage of their research in Professor Carlos Molina\u2019s lab. (Photo by University Photographer Mike Peters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Discovering research with zebrafish<\/strong><\/h2>\n

At Montclair, Rodriguez joined research already underway in Biology Professor Carlos Molina\u2019s lab using zebrafish to \u201capply what we see in the fish to then help humans.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Explaining the zebrafish research in a way his grandmother would have understood, Rodriguez says, \u201cThe genes of the zebrafish are kind of like a light switch; you can turn them on and off.\u201d He and his labmates turn off a tumor-suppressor gene so the fish are more likely to develop tumors and increase their chances of getting melanoma in their skin pigment cells. By watching how a single protein changes under those conditions, they can learn lessons that may apply to people, since humans and zebrafish share similar genetics and the same ICER protein with similar effects.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rodriguez engaged deeply in that research and in sharing the work, including poster presentations at Montclair, Rutgers University and in Dallas, Texas, as part of the American Heart Association Hispanic-Serving Institution scholar program<\/a>, where he collaborated on research with scholars across the United States and Puerto Rico. He earned recognition as a Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation<\/a> (LSAMP) Scholar, a CSAM Summer Research<\/a> Scholar and a participant in the six-week Premedical Urban Leaders Summer Enrichmen<\/a>t (PULSE) program.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI love being rigorously challenged. I’ve always been very heavy on my work ethic, and there’s just no other curriculum like medicine that is so rigorous, so intense. I feel I would be doing a disservice to myself by not pursuing something that I know I could definitely handle and take on,\u201d he says. \u201cI believe everyone has a God-given vocation, this inexplicable desire to pursue certain professions, and for me that’s medicine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Support, mentoring and EOF<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Navigating college as a first-generation student came with challenges. He credits the Educational Opportunity Fund<\/a> (EOF) program, the Pre-Medical Program<\/a>, mentors and close friends with providing the support, leadership development and MCAT preparation that helped him succeed and feel a strong sense of belonging at Montclair State University.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMelvin came to college with a clear goal and determination to make it happen,\u201d says <\/span>Melissa Pecora, his EOF counselor and academic advisor. \u201c<\/span>Through hard work and focus, he followed through on that mission and turned his goals and dreams into reality.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Rodriguez is paying it forward as a pre-med mentor. \u201cI help incoming freshmen and transfer students adjust to college life, suggesting what classes to take, what extracurriculars to pursue \u2013 and helping to keep them motivated on the pathway towards medicine because it is a really difficult and daunting journey.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Even with a course load packed with lab work and research, Rodriguez says his Honors and Classics courses give him balance \u2013 helping him stay focused on the intense science in front of him. (Photo by University Photographer Mike Peters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A well-rounded education<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Rodriguez, a student in the Martinson Edge Honors Program<\/a>, says his own path has been academically well-rounded. \u201cScience is definitely heavy. If I had pure science every semester, I’d probably want to pull my hair out cause that’s a lot of knowledge, a lot of information, a lot of studying.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s why I like having the Classics minor on the side as well as being in the Honors Program. The Honors Program helped create a further divide, because I’ve taken interesting courses \u2013 like a class about cookbooks, a class about animal minds \u2013 which makes each semester feel different and have some type of outlet to go to apart from the sciences. Being able to balance my curriculum and to feel very grounded in my education has proven successful and very instrumental in my ability to succeed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking ahead to oncology<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Looking ahead, he knows where he hopes his path leads. He\u2019ll be attending Cooper Medical School of Rowan University in Camden to pursue medicine.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI definitely want to pursue oncology. Recently, I’ve been debating whether I want to pursue radiation oncology or medical oncology, which would allow me to do chemotherapy and things of that nature. I guess that’s something I will discover in medical school. I also want to have an open mind because I know a lot of people say that you enter med school to become one profession and then might switch to another.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI understand medicine is multifaceted in both its disciplines as well as the patients that you face. It’s always good to keep an open mind \u2013 you never know what you might encounter.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This story is part of a series celebrating Montclair State University\u2019s graduates \u2013 students who embody the University\u2019s mission<\/a> to broaden access to exceptional learning opportunities and contribute to the common good.<\/em><\/p>\n

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