Scoring big, from the football field to a USC Rossier doctorate

Gabriela Rodriguez Alvarez’s journey is one of breaking barriers and inspiring others. In 2014, she became the first and only female player on University High School’s football team located in Westwood. What started as a bold dream turned into a trailblazing moment that left a lasting impact on young women in athletics.

Now, 11 years later, Alvarez is still breaking ground, but this time in higher education. In August, she was featured on Telemundo’s Athlete of the Week segment to share her story of perseverance and to discuss her path since high school football. With degrees in design and business administration under her belt, today, she is a second-year doctoral student in USC Rossier’s Organizational Change and Leadership (OCL) program.

As a first-generation college student, Alvarez credits her experience on the football field—where she faced judgment, doubt and societal pressure—with teaching her resilience and perseverance. Applying to a doctoral program brought similar challenges, but once again, she chose a path few around her had taken: earning a doctorate. Alvarez chose to pursue this degree to enhance her current role as a learning and development specialist at Fox Corporation where she guides employees in their professional growth. 

After six years at Fox, she still remembers the awe she felt when first stepping into the cooperation’s towering offices. “The first time I walked into those buildings, it felt like such a big world,” she recalled. “Life has changed in so many ways, and I’m always grateful to my family. Without them, I would never have set foot on a football field, let alone in corporate offices.”

Alvarez is now a USC Rossier Ambassador, closely collaborating with Estevan Hernandez, senior assistant director in the Office of Admissions and Scholarships at USC Rossier, to organize and facilitate webinars for incoming OCL students, a role she was in herself just a year ago. She continues to “pave the way,” just as she once did for women in male-dominated sports.

“What helped me most was my curiosity to learn more, to never say, ‘You know what? This is a limit.’ Just because I’m a student from an underrepresented community doesn’t mean there’s a limit. I never told myself that. I always said, ‘You know what? We’re going to make this a strength.’”

Looking back, Alvarez remains thankful to Telemundo for covering the beginning of her journey and providing her with the support she needed to keep her dreams in motion. “[They] were the first to give me the opportunity,” she reflected. “To believe in myself, to see that I could be on television and have these conversations to empower so many people.”

“I feel like I’m still in the game,” she said. “It hasn’t been won or lost. Right now, the playing field feels level. I have the resources and the people to help me reach the next stage.”

Alvarez’s journey embodies USC Rossier’s mission of access, perseverance and leadership. From the football field to the doctoral classroom, she illustrates how determination and resilience can break boundaries not just for herself, but for those who follow. Similar to the sport that first shaped her, the ball is still very much in play.