Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty ImagesGina Rodriguez spoke to The Huffington Post and inspired us with her message to all of those students who are the first in their families to attend college. She and her siblings who attended college are all first-generation college students.
"My eldest sister was the first ever to go to college in our family and I know how terrifying it was," Rodriguez said. "She told me stories. I was blessed to be the third child and by that point, they had already paved such a massive path for me that there was almost nowhere to stray."
The Jane the Virgin star is now the face of Clinique's "Difference Matters" campaign. She's used the platform to talk about the importance of education as a tool to empower students and to help them rise above their circumstances. The actress grew up in a low-income neighborhood in Chicago and understands how easy it can be to get stuck in a cycle of "can't and won't." But she said education changed everything for her and her siblings.
During her interview with HuffPost, the 32-year-old star gave a powerful message for the first-generation students of 2020.
"First [I would tell them] how proud and incredibly inspired I am by those that are taking that leap of faith, that are taking that step that creates a role model within their family, which is to me monumental," she said. "But outside of that first congratulations, I would say: ‘Now it becomes a challenge. Now is the time for you to go through an experience that will be tough, that will be challenging, that will feel like obstacles, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel."
Rodriguez is aware of the doubts that fill first-generation students that are taking a leap of faith by pursuing their dreams.
"It's four years of life that you dedicate to hard work, to being persistent and ambitious and driven because you are the change," she said. "You are not only experiencing this amazing time and college and getting your education—owning something that no one can ever take away from you—but you are going to be the face of your family, for your cousins for those that come after you , for even your ancestors, Just remember, during those times of fear or doubt, that you are right now discovering your true strength."
The actress went on to talk about what to do when you're faced with adversity. "Even when you fail in college, even when you find rejection because you will because that is life, those moments are going to contribute to the celebration you will have when you have made your accomplishments and your dreams come true," Rodriguez explained. "And let me tell you, that feeling is better than any feeling in the world. You cannot put a price tag on that feeling. You cannot put a price on how valuable your education is not only to you but to so many around you, to your community at home and ultimately to the story you're writing."
Bravo, Gina!