Dr. Phil Rodriguez has written his first novel. As Director of Student Affairs at Cerritos College, he has now added book author to his list of accomplishments.

“Travieso” which means “mischievous person” in Spanish is a combination of fiction, biography, and memoir, based on Dr. Rodriguez’s childhood.

A “Labor of love” as Dr. Rodriguez calls it, the novel, is available to be purchased at Cerritos College bookstore. The book signing will be held tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Cultura Latina Bookstore.

Besides writing novels, Dr. Rodriguez also plays cello in his spare time. He will be performing in a quartet at the beginning of the signing. Cultura Latina is located at 4125 Norse Way, Long Beach.

As a fellow Falcon and true Angelino, Dr. Rodriguez has never ventured too far away from home.

He received his A.A. degree from Cerritos College, and then continued his study in English at CSU Fullerton and CSU Dominguez Hills, where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degree, respectively.

Dr. Rodriguez was awarded his doctor’s degree in Higher Education from USC.

As a second generation immigrant from Mexico, he grew up with his parents and grandmother working in the same grape field every summer. It was during those summers that he decided to break generations of grape picking and do something different.

The semi-fictional character Felipe, is a 12-year-old boy who has vivid imagination and sometimes acts out his ambition of saving the world in his dreams.

“I have brushstrokes from Donkey Jote, Mark Twain, Hemingway, and Shakespeare’s Julius Cesar,” Dr. Rodriguez talks about influences he has from some of the famous writers in our time.

The novel has a light-hearted humor. “I wanted it to be positive and uplifting. I didn’t want a victim so there were things I left out.” At the end of the novel, a social commentary is contributed to the immigrant workers working on those grape fields.

So, when and how did he come to initiate this novel? It was by accident while he was accepted into the UCLA Writing Project in 1994. The project is a program that helps faculties in academia become better teachers through writing.

From a three-page reflection writing piece at the Project, a manuscript collected over 9 years then grew into the novel. “At first I didn’t know I could write. I never thought about writing a novel,” Dr. Rodriguez recalled.

So, what was the reason behind writing the novel? Concerned with the increasing amount of time spent on video games, arcade, and internet, Dr. Rodriguez feels that students today don’t read as much as their counterparts from earlier generation.

“You can’t be a good writer unless you read.” Dr. Rodriguez wants to make his contribution to the literature and encourage students to read and write.

“I have to teach every semester because it connects me with the heart and souls of what this institution is about. It’s about teaching and learning.” Dr. Rodriguez just celebrated his 32nd anniversary at Cerritos College.

As Director of Student Affairs, his best connection is made with students in classroom. “I am an educator and I came into education because I wanted to teach.”

The coming of age, from struggling on the grape field to the achievement today, has it been a long road?

“It’s the American dream. It didn’t come easy. I worked hard for it. But for every success, like myself, there are thousands that never made it. They are either pushed out or couldn’t make it because of poverty.” Dr. Rodriguez is grateful and content for what he has today and hopes to give back to the society.

“The more you give, the more you receive.” Dr. Rodriguez is starting his second novel which is a continuation of the first one. The giving continues.

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