Biography
While working as an athletic trainer for the National Football League’s Jacksonville Jaguars, California-native Corey Rodrigo saw firsthand a personal need to improve his knowledge of business.
“In pursuing my MBA, I wanted to improve my business acumen and analytic skills in order to help the medical staff better predict injury and help the front-office staff better understand the physical and monetary cost of injury. The ultimate goal: help the team reduce injuries and win games.” His career path led him to Emory where he decided to obtain a dual degree in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program and Goizueta’s One-Year MBA program.
Like many students entering an MBA classroom for the first time, Corey had to adjust to a new learning environment. “Coming from a sports medicine background and without having taken even a basic economics course before, I certainly felt like a fish out of water at first.” However, Corey quickly adjusted and was even second guessing his career in professional sports after taking Professor in Finance J.B. Kurish’s class.
During his time at Goizueta, Corey had the opportunity to work on diverse teams made up of students from other countries, industries and more. “Goizueta has ultimately given me a place to grow and connect. My experiences growing with other students has been compounding by a diverse and welcoming staff which has helped to connect me more contacts in my small and niche world of sports.”
Corey, like many students, has adjusted to the online environment due to the ongoing pandemic. However, even with digital learning, Corey said he has created a strong network. “While academically rigorous at a baseline, the addition of the pandemic, virtual classes, and very long Zoom project meetings made this a one-of-a-kind summer, which led to a lot of growth and the formation of many great relationships with my classmates.”