Her Story
About Lauren
Lauren Rodriguez serves as a research assistant and student worker at the Bukhari Lab within St. John's University in Woodhaven, New York. She earned her bachelor's degree in computer science from St. John's University in May 2026 and is currently pursuing a master's of science in AI and data science, with an expected graduation in May 2027. Rodriguez specializes in artificial intelligence, software engineering, and technology research, and she holds a nanodegree in artificial intelligence and machine learning. She is a Clare Boothe Luce Graduate Fellow and was selected as a top influential woman for 2026. Rodriguez is an active member of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, Rewriting the Code, and Color Stack. She attributes her success to her faith and the support of her family and friends, and she advises others to embrace opportunities and remain authentic in male-dominated fields.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Lauren
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would just say God's favor over my life and the support from my parents, family, and friends because he's given me the capacity to be where I am and do what I've done.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I would just say to say yes because you never know when you can get an opportunity again. So if that door is open for you and you have the capability to walk through it, to just take the risk and walk through.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
To not let anybody doubt you because you are a woman and that you don't have to change anything about yourself to fit in with the men in your office. You don't have to dim your personality, you don't have to stop wearing pink, you don't have to do these things and change who you are or any aspects of your personality just to fit in.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Everything is kind of getting automated right now and no one really knows where the future of AI is going. So I'd say that's the biggest challenge: how to use AI as an assistant but not let it take over all of the work that you do.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
My biggest value is my faith and how that's kind of interwoven through everything that I do. I try to keep that at the center of it all and that kind of is the landmark that I kind of use.
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