Ana Rodríguez: Tec graduate who went from medicine to motor sport!

Ana Rodríguez, a graduate from the Tec’s Monterrey campus, never imagined that her fate would take her from hospitals to the iconic circuits of global motor racing.

During the pandemic, Ana, who was then studying for a medical degree, saw a video on social media about women in Formula 1, which sparked an interest in this sport.

“An interview with a female doctor came up on my Facebook feed, and I thought, ‘How cool! A female doctor in Formula 1.’ Then another video came up and I said, ‘OK. It’s my destiny,’” she said.

Driven toward this new goal, Rodríguez applied for a research master’s from the United Against Online Abuse(UAOA) campaign, led by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the governing body for world motor sport.

After being accepted, the Chihuahua native changed her present and future profession by switching her degree to Biosciences after studying for a medical degree for four and a half years.

This new challenge led her to attend events such as the Monaco Grand Prix, Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, and other competitions on behalf of the FIA in 2024 in order to begin her research work on online abuse against athletes and officials.

“Although it was a big change, I think it was the change I needed in order to grow,” she stressed.

Ana graduated from Tecnológico de Monterrey in December 2024. At the end of January, she will begin her online master’s at Dublin City University, which she will alternate with in-person courses and classes at the university, as well as attending competitions.

“I’m proud to be a part of the United Against Online Abuse campaign.”

Motor sport research

Last year, the UAOA campaign announced the first beneficiaries of the global research scholarships, including Ana from Mexico.

They also included Kimberley Willye from the United Kingdom; Roshni Gajjar from South Africa; and María Iuliano from Italy, whose research will seek to improve understanding of online abuse against athletes and officials.

“This project is about how to study educational models to prevent hate speech in sport.

“The model isn’t very classroom-based, it’s almost always field research,” she explained.

The research master’s at Dublin City University is fully funded by the FIA Foundation, a non-profit company that includes 268 automobile organizations from 143 countries.

“Representation matters”

Ana Rodríguez highlighted the importance of female representation in sports such as motor racing.

“Representation matters. I’m proud to be a part of the United Against Online Abuse campaign and able to do my bit,” she remarked.

At the end of January, the Tec graduate will begin her online master’s at Dublin City University, as part of the FIA University.

This is a worldwide authority in the area of accreditation, education, and research regarding motor racing and mobility.

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