Finding Her Path: How Karen Hernandez-Rodriguez Discovered Her Future in Education

In her early high school years, Karen Hernandez-Rodriguez didn’t have a clear answer when people asked what she wanted to do after graduation. Like many students at Burnsville High School, she was an explorer — trying out different electives, figuring out what she liked, and hoping something would eventually spark something in her.

“I never knew what I wanted to pursue after high school,” she said. “I was still in the phase of trying out a bunch of electives to see what I liked and what I didn't like.”

That moment of clarity didn’t come from a career test or a long-term plan. It came from a class she signed up for almost by accident.

During her sophomore year, Hernandez-Rodriguez decided that when junior year came around, she would try some child development classes. One of them was the Preschool Lab. At the time, she admits she wasn’t thinking about a future career.

“I remember I had signed myself up for Preschool Lab. I thought it seemed like fun because I had that same teacher before,” Hernandez-Rodriguez said. “She said it was fun and that if you took the class, it was two credits and two hours. I was mostly in it for the credits.”

But something unexpected happened once the class began, she slowly realized she wanted to fully pursue a career in education.

What started as a way to earn credits became something much bigger: a sense of purpose. For the first time, she could picture a future that felt right. Before high school, Hernandez-Rodriguez never imagined herself working with children.

“It was never a thought or an idea,” she said. “It came to me not as a surprise but more like an awakening. I remember as a junior, I told myself when it came down to choosing classes for senior year I would put myself in a bunch of education classes.” 

She enrolled in Child Psychology & Development I and II, followed by Preschool Lab, where she moved from learning about how to work with children to working with them directly. These classes helped her understand not just how kids learn, but how they grow, communicate, and see the world.

“I’ve had so many experiences where I got the chance to work firsthand with kids two to five and it was the best,” she said.

Each experience made her more confident that she had found her place. Now a senior, Hernandez-Rodriguez is fully immersed in the education pathway. She is currently taking Intro to Education, where she gets the opportunity to go into an elementary school and teach — an experience she describes as both exciting and eye-opening.

Standing in front of a classroom for the first time made everything feel real. These hands-on moments taught her lessons no textbook ever could: how to communicate clearly, stay patient, think creatively, and adapt on the fly. She has also lined up a Pathways Internship, which she calls the highlight of her senior year.

“My Pathways Internship was the most exciting thing about first semester of senior year,” Hernandez-Rodriguez said. “Being able to get a job at a daycare while also getting a credit was something I didn't know that I could do in high school.”

For Hernandez-Rodriguez, the value of this experience goes far beyond the classroom.

“The biggest thing I was looking forward to when taking this class was being able to get more hands-on experience,” she said. “A lot of people don't have the opportunity to do this.”

That opportunity helped her fully commit to her future.

“This daycare job really helped me lock in the idea of becoming a teacher or working with kids in general,” she said.

Hernandez-Rodriguez doesn’t just see herself teaching someday — she’s already picturing what that classroom might look like.

“I honestly do see myself teaching in the future,” she said. “I hope to teach kindergarten.”

She knows kindergarten teachers work hard — balancing lesson planning, creativity, and the needs of young learners — but she believes that’s where she shines.

“A lot of people say it's a lot of work,” Hernandez-Rodriguez said. “Not only with the kids, but also coming up with lessons that are fun and interesting for them. I can agree with that, but I can also proudly say I tend to work better with little kids.”

Her goal is to teach in Minnesota, but more than anything, she wants to continue her education and stay on this path.

“If not, I just hope I can pursue my educational journey,” she said.

What makes Hernandez-Rodriguez’s story special isn’t just that she found a career path. It’s that the pathway helped her find herself.

After early exploration, Hernandez-Rodriguez has direction, confidence, and something to look forward to after high school. The education pathway gave her more than skills; it gave her clarity.

For students who might feel unsure about their future, Hernandez-Rodriguez's advice is simple: try things, even if you’re not sure they’re “your thing.”

What started as a class chosen for credits became the beginning of a calling.

And for Karen Hernandez-Rodriguez, that calling is clear: shaping young minds, one classroom at a time.