RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Ms. Gina Rodriguez was born and raised in Hermosa, on Chicago's Northwest Side, the 36th Ward; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Rodriguez began her performance career at age seven, with salsa dance company, Fantasia Juvenil. She later went on to work with dance companies including Los Soneros Del Swing, performing in Chicago, California, New York and Puerto Rico; and
WHEREAS, at the age of sixteen, Ms. Rodriguez was one of thirteen young adults accepted into Columbia University's prestigious Theatrical Collaboration program, taught by Richard Niles, where she wrote, directed and performed original works; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Rodriguez attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, under the brilliant guidance of Rosemary Quinn and other acclaimed professors; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Rodriguez's first lead role after graduation was in the feature film Tiny Dancer, and her acting career continued to flourish thereafter, including successful roles in a number of New York plays and American TV shows, including/onny Zero, Army Wives, Law and Order, Eleventh Hour, Ten Things I Hate About You, The Mentalist, and Happy Endings; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Rodriguez was the recipient of the "Best Actor" award at the First Run Film Festival in New York for her role in Osvaldo's, a 2009 film named one of the "Five Best Shorts" on HBO and accepted into film festivals including the American Black Film Festival, HBO's New York International Film Festival, the Chicago International Film Festival, and the Urbanworld Film Festival; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Rodriguez is currently the star of the CW's hit television show,/ane the Virgin, and in 2015, she received the Golden Globe award for "Best Actress - Television Series Musical or Comedy", and in 2016 was nominee for a Golden Globe Award, NAACP Image Award, Critics' Choice Television Award, among others; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Rodriguez continues her acting career with upcoming roles in the films Sticky Notes and Deepwater Horizon; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Rodriguez is a tireless advocate for the Latino community, supporting Inspira, a non-profit spotlighting Latino leaders shaping their communities, the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, and the Boyle Heights Learning Collaborative; and
BE IT RESOLVED, That the 2300 block of North Keating by named Gina Rodriguez Way; and
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor, and members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, gathered here this thirteenth day of April, 2016, take this opportunity to recognize Ms. Rodriguez's great impact on the Hermosa neighborhood; and