CHICAGO, Ill. -- Last Friday, October 15th, was the final day of Hispanic Heritage Month, a nationwide celebration of the contributions and achievements of Hispanic American champions across all walks of life. North Park University is proud to be designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution, and the NPU athletic department would like to highlight two high achieving Hispanic student-athletes at this time.
Freshman outside hitter Adriana Rodriguez has been a force to be reckoned with to start her Viking career as a member of the women's volleyball team. She currently is first on the team with 228 kills, second on the team with 33 aces, and third on the team with 179 digs and 30 assists. Rodriguez hails from the city of Carolina, on the northeast coast of the US territory of Puerto Rico. She started playing volleyball at seven years old, and she had a goal of playing college volleyball like her sister. She credits her coach for bringing her to NPU.
"I got to North Park thanks to my coach Michael Sopocy who contacted me and approached me and believed in me. I visited campus and I quite liked it," Rodriguez said. The location of North Park in the city of Chicago didn't hurt either, "I've always wanted to go to a university in the United States, mostly one in a big city."
Rodriguez views being Latina and Hispanic as an honor and a privilege. "Since my time here in North Park I've come to learn the essence of a community, as you bond and connect easily with other Hispanic students on campus," she said, "Determination, perseverance, and passion are one of the main attributes of being from the small island of Puerto Rico, that have influenced me all throughout my athletic and academic journey."
Having one of the best freshman seasons in NPU women's volleyball history, Rodriguez never forgets where she comes from and who she is representing when she steps out on the court. "It fills me up with pride when I hear 'Adriana Rodríguez from Carolina, Puerto Rico' when I step out on the court. Being Hispanic is an object of admiration, it is important to never forget your roots and always be proud of where you came from."
Over on the soccer pitch, junior winger Angel Barriga has been a headache for every opposing team against the No. 23 ranked NPU men's soccer team. Barriga comes from much closer confines than Puerto Rico, as he calls Bensenville, Illinois home, only a thirty-minute drive from North Park's campus. He is the oldest of four siblings, and they all grew up in a Spanish speaking household as both his parents came to the US from Mexico when they were around 17 years old.
"I decided to come to North Park because when I was on campus it felt like home," Barriga said, "I didn't feel comfortable on other campuses." That has clearly shown on the field for the Fenton High School product. After a solid freshman year, he posted a breakout campaign in 2019, starting 22 games and totaling a team best eight assists. Barriga clearly won the respect of everyone watching as he was a first team All-CCIW selection, a first team All-Central region selection, and a second team All-American. This season, he is second on the team with six assists, and fifth on the team with three goals.
As a young Mexican-American, Barriga credits his heritage and his family for his success on the field and in the classroom. "I think that the biggest influence my background has would be that it makes me work harder. I face many challenges and I want to overcome them to make my family proud so that my siblings can see me as a role model," Barriga said, "I really want to finish my degree and be the first one from my family to graduate from college."
