Wonder Woman of the Week: Gina Rodriguez

This week's Wonder Woman is superheroic for a plethora of reasons. Gina Rodriguez grew up dancing her way through school in Chicago as a skilled youth salsa dancer. That performing arts skill helped attract attention from Columbia University for their theatrical arts program. Rodriguez continued her acting pursuits through college in New York and performed in theatres in the United Stated and the United Kingdom before graduating in 2005.

Gina Rodriguez spent the next nine years taking on minor roles in television and film before landing her first major television role with her titular character on Jane the Virgin. The show covers difficult subjects like abortion, immigration, and civil rights through humor and empathy- and Rodriguez is at the center of the show's success. The popular show helped launch Rodriguez into further success as a pop figure in American entertainment.

In 2018, Gina Rodriguez began portraying the 90's nostalgia household name of Carmen Sandiego. The character started as a game show character on PBS in a game that tested contestants' knowledge of world geography, but exploded into a character at the center of multiple game shows, television shows, and video games. But the character's backstory barely existed before Rodriguez' performance which helped deliver depth to who in the world Carmen Sandiego really is. By committing to the role, Rodriguez gave the character the ability to inspire young people to want to learn more about the world and by seeing a strong female character at the center of that inspiration.