Juan Carlos Rodriguez was born in San Salvador, El Salvador. As he shared, he was raised in a Christian family, “I knew God was there, but he didn’t have a major influence in my life,” Rodriguez said.
From an early age, Rodriguez showed great interest in subjects related to numbers such as engineering, physics and mathematics. During his senior year of high school, Rodriguez decided to apply for the Walton International Scholarship Program, however, he was not selected.
“In 2001 I heard about the Walton scholarship, and I didn’t get it. I believe it was one of the best things that ever happened to me,” Rodriguez said.
According to Rodriguez, he experienced God’s calling during his senior year,
“It was my last year of high school, and my friends organized a football game at the beach. There was alcohol and much more happening,” Rodriguez said.
During that afternoon, a beautiful sunset painted the sky, and beneath its light, he affirmed to have offered one of his most genuine prayers.
“During that night, I felt the presence of God for the first time in my life,” Rodriguez said.
After prayers, John Brown University reached out to Rodriguez with an offer, though a modest one, to share a portion of an academic scholarship. Thanks to the JBU’s offer and a scholarship sponsored by the government of El Salvador, Rodriguez was able to major in engineering.
“Adapting to JBU was difficult for me. I did not have my reputation of ‘a good kid’ anymore, I was alone. Also, everyone was speaking a language that was hard for me to speak,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez recalled the time he met his best friend, who also majored in engineering. As Rodriguez described him, his friend was filled with a feeling of joy and hope that can only come from God.
“Throughout him, I was able to commit my life to Jesus. I repented from my sins, and that changed my life. This happened in the lobby of J Alvin during my Freshman year. From that moment I knew I would not be the same, I knew that God loved me and wanted a relationship with me,” Rodriguez said.
After he graduated, Rodriguez was offered another scholarship to study for his master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at The University of Tulsa. At first, he did not want to go, but he prayed for this opportunity and God made it clear to him that he needed to come back to Arkansas to study.
Once he graduated from TU, he started working at Unilever in El Salvador. He mentioned that he hated his job, so much so that he prayed to God every morning to have a car accident, so he did not have to go to work there. However, after eight months of working, he was promoted to manager of the factory.
“I cried, I told my boss that was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I wanted to become a missionary in those countries where they do not know about God,” Rodriguez said,
Rodriguez felt that God spoke through his boss, as he replied: “Unilever cannot offer you what you want, but I know that missionaries need leadership skills and that you can learn with us.”
During the six years that Rodriguez served as manager, he was able to witness God’s presence in the lives of each of the 350 workers under his direction.
In 2014, Rodriguez received an email from the Vice President of Student Development, Steve Beers, as he wanted to reunite with former JBU students from El Salvador. After talking with him and sharing about his life, Beers invited him to apply for the Residence Director position at JBU. Rodriguez was unsure, but after prayers, he decided to leave Unilever and embark on his journey back to JBU. Before his two-year contract was about to expire, JBU announced an opening for a Mechanical Engineering professor position. As he had his master’s degree, he applied for the position, and went on to serve as a Mechanical Engineering professor for over five years.
“I cried again, I rejected my decision as I did not feel prepared enough for the position,” Rodriguez said.
However, his wife, “Lulu,” helped him through his experience at teaching, as she had a degree in Education.
“I have never had a plan, and I believe that is okay. God has opened many doors for me, and every time he opened a door, I never wanted it, but it always ended up being the best for me. He has given me joy and peace and has helped me do things I would have never done on my own,” Rodriguez said.
The bible verse that reminds Rodriguez of God’s purpose for his life can be found in Colossians: “For you I have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3).
“Jesus did not save me in a Church, he saved me in JBU,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez departed from his position in 2024, after 10 years of serving JBU as the Dean of Residence Life. He shared that after prayers, he felt God’s calling to come back to the engineering industry. After speaking with his wife, they decided to stay in Northwest Arkansas, where they plan to take care of their daughters.
“To JBU students, I want to tell you: God does not want to rob you of experiences in life, he wants to give you a life worth living, a life where you can get to know him better. He wants to give you a life full of joy and difficulties as well. Whose life is not complicated? Life is hard. Do you want to live with God or without God?” Rodriguez said.
Photo courtesy of Juan Rodriguez