Faculty in Focus:
Alexander Melchor ’13 and David Rodriguez ’96

Catching up with alumni-turned-Deans Alexander Melchor ’13 and David Rodriguez ’96 to find out what it’s like on the other side of The Hive.

 

 

What is your favorite memory of being a student at St. Benedict’s? 

Mr. Melchor: Senior year. It was a really powerful time and I had so many leadership opportunities. Getting to be a freshman leader during senior year was the best. It was an opportunity to learn and see what I could do with a leadership role.

Mr. Rodriguez: The Trail. It was everything from good to bad. My freshman year we got lost, but luckily for us we had everything we needed and it was a meaningful experience. I was fortunate to do The Trail all four years. Really, it’s hard to pick one thing because St. Benedict’s is home and there were so many influential experiences.

What’s it like being on “the other side” now as a faculty member?

Mr. Melchor: It’s been an adjustment because now my teachers are my colleagues — and I call them by their first names! But, really it’s been great. It feels nice to talk to other faculty and staff members and be able to ask for help or advice. Having such a strong support system has helped me a lot. The same messages that were taught to me, now I’m employing them and able to help the girls.

Mr. Rodriguez: It’s definitely a learning experience. Now I’m in the position where I’m trying to teach and correct kids — mistakes I made myself. I wasn’t always the most exemplary student, but now I get to share that with students and help them. Even though I’m now the “enforcer” of the rules, I have the opportunity to show students that you can make mistakes and learn from them, and it’s not the end of the world.

As a Dean, what’s one thing you hope to impart on your students?

Mr. Melchor: Honor the School. We’re all a part of its legacy and the changes it goes through, and we’re all in this together.

Mr. Rodriguez: Do for others what people did for you. Tradition is such a big part of the St. Benedict’s experience, and I hope that keeps getting passed on — that they want to come back and be role models and mentors for the younger generation.

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Alexander Melchor ’13 is the Dean of the Girls Prep Division and David Rodriguez ’96 is the Dean of the Boys Prep Division.