Photo of Maria Esther Rodriguez courtesy of the New Haven Register.

Cheers to the New Haven Register for this article on National Association of Social Workers member Maria Esther Rodriguez, MSW.

Rodriguez, who lives in New Haven, Conn., is retiring after serving 35 years as a social worker, community activist and alderwoman. She is now a social worker at the Fair Haven School. Rodriguez said grown-up students still walk up to her sometimes and say what an inspiration she has been.

Rodriguez does not plan to give up social work after she retires. She plans to volunteer in her native Puerto Rico, Honduras, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic.

To learn more about how social workers help young people visit NASW’s “Help Starts Here” Kids & Families Web pages by clicking here.