SPRINGFIELD — Jocelyn Rodriguez, 35, hasn’t had it easy. She grew up on Bay Street in what she calls a rough neighborhood, where violence was no stranger.
“I lost a several friends. One of them was beat to death, one was shot, and another hung himself. My mother committed suicide, and I was stabbed behind my house,” said Rodriguez, as she ran down tragic episodes in her life.
Fighting her way out of poverty and seizing whatever advantage she can, Rodriguez is working toward a business degree at Springfield Technical Community College. She is determined to live her dreams and told The Republican that failure is not an option.
While many of the details are still confidential, Rodriguez has invented a wristwatch that helps people face health scares and threats of violence. She said it can detect heart attacks, a drop in blood pressure and erratic breathing — and it calls for medical services if there is a problem.
The watch also can send for help in the face of violence, she said. Rodriguez said she has received a provisional patent for the watch, which she ultimately hopes to manufacture and sell nationally. It’s all part of a business plan she’s developing at STCC.
“I feel like this was my calling, like God was telling me to help people, to help save lives because of everything I’ve been through,” she said.
“Growing up in a rough neighborhood, I was in contact with a lot of violence. I don’t even know how I made it through. I felt like it was the grace of God, because I couldn’t do it on my own. It’s like a miracle,” she said.
Rodriguez plans to sell the watch at an introductory price of $75 and try to make it available through MassHealth. Once she establishes a market presence for the timepiece, she wants to raise the price to $250. Instructors at STCC are helping her develop the plan.
Jocelyn Rodriguez of Springfield is trying to patent a new smartwatch she is working on while a student at Springfield Technical Community College. (Don Treeger / The Republican) The Republican
Getting started
Rodriguez graduated from Springfield Central High School in 2006. She was on the varsity basketball team, helping guide the squad to a Western Massachusetts Division I championship. She enrolled at STCC in 2008, but the challenges she faced early in life followed her as a young adult and sidetracked her college career.
Rodriguez said she left school and “went down the wrong path” when her grandmother died — then her mother passed away suddenly. “I was in and out of crisis for years,” she said.
With help from an aunt who took her to church, Rodriguez vowed to get her life back on track.
“It brought me back to being normal again, being calm,” she said.
Sticking with STCC
After many years away from school, Rodriguez returned to STCC in 2022, resuming her classes and refining her business skills. She’s also found a strong support network at the school, including its Center for Access Services, which has given her food and cleaning supplies.
“She is a light that’s shining brighter these days because of the trials and tribulations she’s endured and overcome to get her on her path to success,” said CAS staff member Vicky Rios. “I’m so proud to have been able to watch her grow and fight to accomplish her dreams of becoming a successful entrepreneur.”
Rodriguez has invested more than $14,000 in the business. Most of it has gone to a Florida patent attorney. She received money to launch her start-up from a life insurance payment she received when her father died, as well as proceeds from the sale of his home.
Rodriguez will have an ongoing need for cash to fund further product development, marketing, inventory and other essentials. Part of her business plan includes pursuing a grant from the Small Business Administration.
Business Professor Diane Sabato has been both teacher and mentor to Rodriguez, and is impressed by the fortitude of the woman she calls J.R.
“I am excited to see the progress J.R. has made in developing her plans to launch a business built on her innovation. I have every confidence that she will employ the tenacity and heart that she has shown in her life as she plans and builds her successful venture,” Sabato said.
Rodriguez has stared down more than her share of adversity, but as she forges ahead with what she’s calling her “Super Smart Safe” watch, she thinks time is finally on her side.
“Coming up with this watch idea happened out of nowhere, so I wasn’t fully prepared. Hopefully, my faith in God will guide me and send me to the right people,” she said. “I can’t believe this is really happening.”
Staasi Heropoulos is a longtime Western Massachusetts television and print journalist. Send human interest and feature story ideas to staasi.heropoulos@gmail.com.
