Gina Rodriguez Is Paying For An Undocumented Latina To Attend Princeton University

Gina Rodriguez has proven time and time again that she’s not only a proud Latina but she stands by her community. The 33-year-old actress could be earning an Emmy Award nomination this year for her work on CW’s Jane The Virgin but instead of campaigning for the nomination—which is what most actors do to secure it—she’s instead using her allotted FYC funds to help send an undocumented student to college. Seriously, how amazing is that?

The student’s name hasn’t been released. But what we do know is that she’s a Latina high school student who will be enrolling in Princeton University this fall. If you’re wondering how this even came about, it’s because Rodriguez partnered with Big Brother Big Sisters of Los Angeles to find an applicant she could help.

“Our show has always jumped at any opportunity to help me do something for the Latinx community,” she tells Hollywood Reporter. “So I asked my showrunner, Jennie [Snyder Urman], if we could do something different with the money this year.”

While she didn’t have second thoughts about funding the student’s four years of college, Rodriguez was hesitant to tell the world what she was doing. “It’s taboo to talk about the money being spent, but it’s the reality,” she says. “I think sharing this might inspire other people to do something similar. You can desire recognition and, at the same time, decide to not play in the confines of the game as it’s set up.”

It’s been such a hard past few weeks regarding some of the devastating immigration stories and cruel policies that have come out lately. It’s good to see a fellow American doing their part to support and protect undocumented immigrants who deserve the same level of respect and kindness as the rest of us.