I first heard the name 'Gina Rodriguez' when her 2015 Golden Globe Award acceptance speech circulated around the internet. Her speech was inspiring and made me cry - even though I had no idea who she was at the time.

2015 Golden Globes: Gina Rodriguez Made Us All Cry With Her Incredible Acceptance Speechwww.youtube.com

Then, a few years later, after one of my close friends kept on talking about how much she loved the TV show, "Jane the Virgin" I decided to give it a try and was pleasantly surprised to find Gina Rodriguez's face staring back at me through my computer screen. Jane the Virgin was fun and different, the show boasts a full Latinx cast, and leaves all stereotypes in the dust, it is shot like a telenovela, but is self-aware that it is a telenovela, and Jane, our main character is unlike any other on television - she's a virgin and is proudly saving herself for marriage - but she somehow manages to become pregnant.

Gina Rodriguez plays Jane beautifully and I wish I knew about her sooner! Gina Rodriguez is not only an actress but an activist who demands more representation in Hollywood and who also takes a stance politically against hate. Her Instagram is devoted to promoting Latinx and her culture, displaying actresses and actors who are of color, doing amazing things in their career, and who overall deserve recognition.

She starts out her day by looking in the mirror and saying, "Today is going to be a great day, I can and I will." She's an actress, activist, salsa dancer, and she can even freestyle, she's an inspiration to me and countless other girls, she's the type of role model I needed when growing up and for that, she's my girl crush.