“Generally speaking, television doesn’t accurately portray the lives of Latinos today.  So even though I’m on TV, when I turn it on, I don’t see me,” Lopez said on stage Wednesday at NUVOtv’s media up fronts in New York City.  “America has changed, we’ve all changed but television is pretty much the same. It is pretty much impossible to find Latinos accurately portrayed in the media … Now, I am fortunate enough to be in a position to do something about it.”

Lopez – who has emerged as one of America’s most recognizable entertainment icons – said that when she was approached to become “the face” of NUVOtv, she immediately began to conceive of a network which would reflect a growing Latino audience that consumes English language content, but demands “culturally relevant” programming.

In her capacity as COO, Lopez oversees the network’s content, branding, distribution and marketing; with a lineup of seven shows to hit airwaves on July 18, the 43-year-old hopes she’ll be able to provide content that simply didn’t exist when she “was a young girl turning on the TV, never seeing anyone that looked like [me] on screen.”

And on the 2013-14 programming slate? A reality show about plus-sized models living in New York City (“Curvy Girls”), a comedy series showcasing Latino comics (“Stand Up And Deliver,” hosted by Julissa Bermudez and Jose Sarduy), a programming block dedicated to showcasing films by up and coming Latino directors, “Gotta Dance,” a show about professional dancers on J.Lo’s first world tour and a celebrity interview series hosted by “Extra” host Mario Lopez.

Having fun backstage with my girl @jlo at the @mynuvotv upfronts! #LopezOverload twitter.com/MarioLopezExtr…m

— Mario Lopez (@MarioLopezExtra) May 15, 2013

Lopez – who recently announced that he will resume his “X Factor” hosting duties in the upcoming season in addition to producing a new reality show with boxer Oscar De La Hoya on MundoFOX – will play a significant role in NUVOtv’s upcoming programming. Beyond his new interview series on the channel, titled “Mario Lopez: One on One,” the Mexican-American television host will develop a scripted show for NUVO as part of its scripted programming lineup.

“As an artist in this industry, this is very exciting to me. This is the opportunity to tell stories in ways that we see them, relatable, more authentic and without stereotypes,” Lopez said of her new endeavors in television programming.

“But this is also smart business. It’s a new day and TV is getting a new face, a new voice.”

Consider Daisy Martinez your honorary Puerto Rican tia – a French Culinary Institute graduate and Food Network personality whose island roots shine in each of her culinary projects to date. Born to Puerto Rican parents in Brooklyn, Martinez maintains a Nuyorican sensibility through which her love of all things Borinquen shines. Author of several books on Puerto Rican cookery, Martinez is a teacher and chef whose approach to traditional island cuisine has earned her several awards and accolades. In fact, her 2010 release “Daisy: Morning, Noon and Night — Bringing Your Family Together with Everyday Latin Dishes” won the top prize in the 2011 International Latino Book Awards and there’s no doubting why. This is a book jam-packed with the Puerto Rican recipes that made Martinez famous, as well as a goodly amount of recipes inspired by the former commercial model’s travels to Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Peru and Spain.

Within the 315 pages of this book, one will find everything needed to tackle the flavorful art of Puerto Rican cookery: recipes for “secret weapons” of the Puerto Rican repertoire (think homemade chicken broth, dry adobo rub and mojo); a guide to pantry staples, a glossary of frequently-used Caribbean produce and even menus galore for events ranging from a family barbeque to a weeknight dinner or all-out buffet.

There are recipes for Puerto Rican classic entrees like pavochon (a roasted turkey breast prepared with the same seasoning as for the classic lechón) and arroz con gandules; elegant but simple desserts like guava shells filled with cream cheese mousse (a take on the quintessential Latin pairing of guava and cheese) and tangy fresh salads like pickled butter beans en escabeche. Travel across the Gulf of Mexico with tantalizing recipes for micheladas and chicken enchiladas; there are also easy-to-prepare variations on Latin American classics like Peruvian aji de gallina and Venezuelan arepas. The name of the volume is interpreted quite literally – the book is divided into recipes suited for breakfast, lunch and dinner – and interspersed throughout, readers learn the countries of origin for each of the recipes thanks to Martinez’s chatty travelogues about family vacations.

But in true Martinez style, Puerto Rican cuisine is the barometer by which all other Latin cuisines – no matter how flavorful – are ultimately judged. Martinez – who will premiere a new cooking web series this summer – is a master of the classics. And if you needed additional proof, just one look at her recipe for creamy, meaty pastelón casserole will have you convinced that Martinez is channeling tia just right.

Pastelón

From “Daisy: Morning, Noon and Night” (Atria Books)

Serves 6

• 6 large sweet plantains or 8 medium ones
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 stick butter
• 2-3 tablespoons evaporated milk (to soften the puree, to taste)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, or any similar cheese
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 1lb of beef or pork for picadillo
• Optional for top picadillo layer: raisins, olives, hard boiled eggs and slice canned roasted red bell peppers

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Boil the plantains in salted water until easily pierced with a fork.

Remove the plantains from the water, peel, clean and strain thoroughly (sweet plantains absorb a lot of water).

Puree the plantains, add the butter, evaporated milk, beaten eggs, cheddar and parmesan.
Salt the puree to taste.

Butter a baking dish or pyrex, lightly. Cover the bottom of the pan with half the puree mix.

Add a layer of picadillo, adding any garnish of your preference (hard boiled eggs, olives, raisins, red bell peppers, etc) to the layer of picadillo.

Add the last layer of plantain (you can have as many layers as you like).

Bake the pastelon at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes, or until golden-crusty.

When ready, top with more cheese, and run under the broiler until bubbly brown.

“Been there, done that, got the T-shirt,” Saldana told Allure of dating Hollywood actors. And Saldana – who graces the magazine’s cover in a silky black lace tank top and appears nude in its pages – is open about embracing her “androgynous” identity.

Saldana stripped down in her cover shoot for Allure.

“[I might] end up with a woman raising my children…that’s how androgynous I am!” says Saldana. And if she does, she would have the blessing of her Puerto Rican and Dominican parents, who Saldana explains “raised [her] that open[ly].”

And if inquiring minds what to know whether Saldana has ever been in a relationship with another woman, well, Saldana is a little less clear.

“Promise me one thing: You’re going to ask this question [in the article]—if you choose to, just put three dots as my response. That’s it,” Saldana told the women’s beauty mag.

While her romantic status may be left up to chance, there’s one thing that Saldana is determined about: playing black iconic singer Nina Simone in a forthcoming biopic despite criticism from the African-American community.

“Let me tell you, if Elizabeth Taylor can be Cleopatra, I can be Nina—I’m sorry,” Saldana said in her Allure interview. “It doesn’t matter how much backlash I will get for it. I will honor and respect my black community because that’s who I am.”

After all says, Saldana, there are more challenging battles ahead than those regarding skin color or ethnicity.

“It’s hard enough to be a woman on this earth,” says Saldana.

“So to be an American or black or Latina, it’s arbitrary compared to our battles as women.”

But a newly popular route has caught officials in the Caribbean by surprise, taking migrants to a piece of the U.S. much closer to home.

Hundreds of Haitian migrants have made their way to Puerto Rico in recent months. They’ve found that if they can make it to the U.S. territory without getting arrested, they can fly on to U.S. cities such as Miami, Boston or New York without having to show a passport, although some kind of identification, such as a driver’s license, is needed.

Immigration authorities checking travelers before they leave Puerto Rico for the U.S. mainland sometimes find them carrying fake driver’s licenses or other identification, but counterfeit documents are not always detected.

“As soon as you’re in Puerto Rico, it’s like you’re in the United States,” said Lolo Sterne, coordinator for Haiti’s Office of Migration.

There are no official statistics on how many Haitians have successfully made their way illegally to Puerto Rico, or how many have traveled on to the U.S. mainland. But the trend worries officials in the U.S. and the Dominican Republic, with both countries reporting a jump in arrests of Puerto Rico-bound Haitians.

Migrants reportedly are paying smugglers $1,000-$1,500 for a trip to Puerto Rico, located less than 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of the island of Hispaniola, which is shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti. At the same time, Dominican officials have detained more than 400 Haitians bound for Puerto Rico in the past four months, compared with just a handful annually in previous years, said Victor Pilier, the Dominican Republic’s director of naval intelligence.

“It’s an excessive amount,” said Pilier, who oversaw the capture of 78 Haitians headed to Puerto Rico in late April before sending them back home. “It’s unusual.”

U.S. officials in the past six months captured 352 Haitian migrants who were bound for Puerto Rico or were found on or near the island. Coast Guard statistics show that between October 2010 and September 2011, only 13 such migrants were found, and at most five Puerto Rico-bound Haitians were arrested in the two years before that.

“We’re seeing another route they’re trying to exploit,” said Coast Guard Capt. Drew Pearson, who is based in Puerto Rico. “We hadn’t seen these numbers of Haitians in my tenure here.”

The odds of reaching the U.S. mainland directly from Haiti have dropped as the U.S. Coast Guard beefs up patrols by Hamilton class cutters, or what Haitian migrants simply refer to as “Amilton.” Along with trying to sail directly to the U.S. mainland, Haitians in the past attempted to get to the United States through long-established smuggling networks on islands including the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos.

“Miami is no longer easy to reach and that’s why Haitians are looking for other places,” said Walky Severian, a boat builder in western Haiti who himself has taken three voyages, including one in 2008 that ended up in Cuba because of stormy weather. He was deported.

Pilier, the Dominican naval officer, said migrant smuggling to the U.S. territory has also become common because Dominican authorities have a harder time patrolling the nation’s southeast coast, which is closer to Puerto Rico.

“We have a stronger presence in the north,” he said. “The east is more vulnerable.”

On top of that, a thriving underground economy in Puerto Rico that has long offered employment to Dominicans is now attracting Haitians.

For Haitians hoping to get to the U.S. mainland, the island of 3.7 million people has a black market that supplies fake passports, driver’s licenses and stolen Social Security numbers. In addition, the island’s governor in early March endorsed a proposal to allow immigrants living illegally in the U.S. territory to apply for a provisional driver’s license. Pilier said that proposal has in fact drawn many migrants to Puerto Rico.

In March, U.S. federal officials rescued 71 Haitian migrants stranded on a cluster of islands just west of Puerto Rico, dehydrated and with bruises and scratches. The rescue came a week after 67 migrants from Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic were found in the same cluster of islands, including a Haitian woman who died.

On the black-sand beach in the fishing village of Leogane west of the Haitian capital, groups of men build wooden migrant boats, sawing and hacking away with machetes and picks. The 30-foot-long boats, whose frames resemble the rib cage of a small dinosaur, are purchased by smugglers for around $12,000 and then taken to northern Haiti to find passengers. One boat builder said he has four or five regular customers who buy the crafts.

Many Haitian farmers lost their crops during last year’s hurricane season, causing food supplies to drop and prices to rise in a country of 10 million people that is still recovering from a devastating 2010 earthquake.

The number of Haitians who don’t have enough to eat to maintain a healthy diet has grown from 1.9 million at the end of 2009 to 6.7 million today, said Myrta Kaulard, the country’s director for the United Nations’ World Food Program.

“Migration is a very important coping mechanism,” she said.

Nasere Severian, a 48-year-old boat builder, himself took three unsuccessful trips to Miami in the 1990s when political instability in Haiti drove out-migration to a peak of 37,618 in 1992, according to U.S. Coast Guard data.

“Sometimes we build two or three boats a year,” Severian said. “At the same time we can go a year without getting a customer.”

Then Severian offered this: “If it were easier to reach Miami I would try to go there every day — even if that means I die.”

In another major migration trend, Brazil also has become an increasingly common destination for Haitians since the 2010 quake. The South American nation initially opened its doors to Haitians seeking asylum, then later said it would issue 1,200 visas annually to allow them to work there for a five-year period. More than 4,000 Haitians have moved to Brazil, both legally and illegally, since the disaster.

Etienne Brutus, a 26-year-old unemployed father of three, was among the 78 Haitian migrants caught leaving the Dominican Republic last month, en route to Puerto Rico.

He spoke in Spanish to The Associated Press by telephone while sitting on a bus full of migrants traveling from the Dominican Republic’s southeast coast to the capital of Santo Domingo for processing before being driven back to Haiti. Dominican authorities provided an AP reporter with the cell number of a naval officer, who then passed the phone to Brutus. But the signal was weak, making it impossible to obtain more than a few details about his situation.

Brutus said that when he approached smugglers about leaving Haiti, they told him they weren’t traveling north, and that their only destination was east to Puerto Rico. He agreed to make the trip, and crossed into the Dominican Republic for the sea voyage.

“I don’t have work, I don’t have a room, I’m hungry,” he said of his life in Haiti. “If I can get to Puerto Rico, amen. If I can get a room, a job and papers, I’m leaving.”

___

Associated Press writer Danica Coto reported this story in San Juan and Trenton Daniel reported from Port-au-Prince and Leogane, Haiti.

“I thought, ‘what does the world need?’” said Lopez on stage at the Mom+Social Global Summit, a United Nations Foundation event in New York City focusing on the role of technology and social media in improving maternal and children’s health. “I found that health care and education was very important to me; telemedicine was the answer.”

The Lopez Family Foundation – run by sisters and co-founders Jennifer and Lynda Lopez – operates telemedicine clinics in both Puerto Rico and Panama. These clinics act as hubs where technology is used to connect U.S. doctors to seriously ill patients in rural areas; by using telemedicine, these patients have access to medical diagnoses and quality treatment that would otherwise be unavailable for them.

Jennifer and Lynda Lopez discussed their passion for improving the lives of women and children around the world with Glamour magazine editor-in-chief Cindi Leive (r).

“We are working on it every day,” explained Lopez, who has opened three centers and hopes with Lynda, a radio personality, to open more. “You know, me big goals. But I realized that this was something doctors would love to have and I think one step at a time, we can make a big difference in the lives of babies.”

Joined at the Mom+Social Global Summit by fellow Latina Christy Turlington Burns, host Elizabeth Gore, Sheryl WuDunn and other socially-savvy moms, Lopez said that it was only when she became pregnant that she understood the impact of motherhood as a catalyst for change.

“We always talked about doing charity work together,” explained Lopez of working with Lynda, who coincidentally became pregnant just six months after Lopez did in 2008. “But when we became pregnant, that went into hyperdrive. Becoming a mom changes your life and your perspective on the world. It makes you want to have this great world for this little being that already exists in your mind.”

And Lopez credits her mother, Lupe – who was married at 20 and didn’t have a college education – for being “a great example.”

“My mom had three girls and her thing was to empower us, to make us feel that we could accomplish anything,” recalled Lopez, who grew up as the second of three sisters in the Bronx, New York. “No one had to take care of us – we could take care of ourselves. If we wanted to be president of the United States, we could do it. She was very intent on preparing us for the future …and now I think, wow, Lupe did an amazing job!”

It’s the type of mothering Lopez wants to children across the globe to have; and the key to doing so, she says is through health care.

“We need take the lives of children seriously and put that out in the atmosphere to make all women feel supported in this mission,” said Lopez.

“When we support each other, that support comes back to you and becomes a beautiful cycle of great energy and great things.”

And on Sunday, the first Hispanic justice on the nation’s highest court explained why, saying “you can’t come from the world I grew up in, the South Bronx, without feeling the frenzy of exile, constantly.”

She spoke at Cooper Union, a private college in Manhattan’s East Village where Abraham Lincoln once gave a speech against slavery.

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The justice said she wasn’t “doing press” on an evening in her hometown that ended with hugs from some members of the audience who asked her to sign their copies of her memoir, “My Beloved World.” The best-selling book was published earlier this year with what she called Sunday “some baring of my own heart.”

She spoke on the closing night of the PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature in New York City, which included her conversation with scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr.

It was hardly a private event.

With a wry smile, Sotomayor said she recognized that “it seems pointless today to exclude the press from any event, when any member of the audience can tweet quotations.”

This year’s festival has focused on looking at the idea of bravery in art and politics.

The judge’s speech came as she and fellow Supreme Court justices are considering three issues dividing the nation: affirmative action, voting rights and gay marriage.

Sotomayor was careful not to reveal her personal opinions, though she conceded that “it is impossible for a homosexual couple today not to be affected by the DOMA and Proposition 8 cases in some way,” adding to laughter, “just so you’re all clear, I’m not predicting anything.”

The federal Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, defines marriage as the union between one man and one woman — now being considered by the Supreme Court. The court must also rule on California’s Proposition 8, a ban on same-sex marriage.

The justice told the New York audience on Sunday that 2013 is likely to be “a turning point for those whose lives will be changed, for better or for worse, by those rulings.”

RELATED: In memoir, Sonia Sotomayor reveals childhood struggles and fighting spirit

Born in New York to Puerto Rican parents, Sotomayor was nominated for the Supreme Court in 2009 by President Barack Obama and sworn in later that year.

She said she needs to keep returning to the Bronx, “to the essence of my world, with love, to take strength from.”

Sotomayor said that while the streets of her childhood South Bronx were portrayed as “ugly, dirty, crime- and drug-ridden” in movies, she wrote about “the hopes and struggles of the people,” about “a beloved world for someone like me.”

Accompanied by Yandel, reggaeton singer Don Omar made the announcement late Friday at a concert in the U.S. territory as he praised Yandel’s future as a soloist.

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But the group’s publicist poured water on those claims.

In a Sunday phone interview, Miami-based publicist Jennifer Nieman said Wisin & Yandel is a “solid duo” with major concerts booked “months down the line,” a clothing line and several endorsement deals.

“They are not breaking up. The brand is solid and intact,” Nieman said.

Yandel’s real name is Llandel Veguilla Malave, and his singing partner is Juan Luis Morera Luna.

The two rappers began their career in 1998 and have produced 10 albums. The crossover stars also have collaborated with singers Gloria Estefan, Jennifer Lopez and Lenny Kravitz.

RELATED: Dania Ramirez’s wedding dress: all the details from designer Rolando Santana

The actress has been busy at work filming “Devious Maids,” a campy drama about four sassy Latina maids in Beverly Hills who work for the rich and very spoiled. The show – which premieres June 23 on Lifetime – stars Ramirez alongside Ana Ortiz, Judy Reyes, Roselyn Sanchez and Edy Ganem – only recently ended filming, which allowed Ramirez to take a highly-anticipated honeymoon vacation. And by the looks of the photos Ramirez shared of her vacation, it looks like some fun in the sun and cool lagoon dips were enjoyed – making more than one male fan of hers wishing they were the ones by her side instead of new hubby Land. Click through to see photos of the actress in full-on relaxation mode enjoying her honeymoon.

« PreviousNext »

“Oh Yeah….I’m ready for this! #yunke” wrote Ramirez of this photo, who enjoyed some bikini time in Puerto Rico’s El Yunqe rainforest.

Ramirez looks to have appeared some fun downtime while relaxing in her native Dominican Republic.

“Best Nonphotographer photo” wrote Ramirez in a caption, referring to this snapshot taken by Land.

Ramirez struck a pose while doing some late-night exploring in the capital city of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

“#QueenOfTheJungle #honeymooning” wrote Ramirez in a caption for this photo, snapped in Puerto Rico.

Ramirez struck a pose while exploring caves and hiking in Puerto Rico.

Aw! Ramirez and Land look adorable in this photo. “Worshiping his wife,” captioned Ramirez on the photo. As for Land, he commented “I will always worship you my love.” Too cute!

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That may be a less winning tactic in the future. The U.S. Navy on Friday began testing two new aerial tools, borrowed from the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq, that officials say will make it easier to detect, track and videotape drug smugglers in action.

One of the devices on display aboard the High Speed Vessel Swift is a large, white balloon-like craft known as an aerostat, which is tethered up to 2,000 feet (600 meters) above the ship’s stern. The other tool on board for tests in the Florida Straits is a type of drone that can be launched by hand from the deck.

Together, they expand the ability of Navy and Coast Guard personnel to see what’s beyond their horizon, according to officials from both military branches and the contractors hoping to sell the devices to the U.S. government.

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The devices should allow authorities to detect and monitor suspected drug shipments from afar for longer sustained periods, giving them a better chance of stopping the smugglers. They also should allow them to make continuous videotapes that can be used in prosecutions.

“Being able to see them and watch what they are doing even before we get there is going to give us an edge,” said Chief Chris Sinclair, assistant officer in charge of a law enforcement detachment on board the Swift, a private vessel leased to the Navy that is about to begin a monthlong deployment to the southwestern Caribbean, tracking the busy smuggling routes off Colombia and Honduras.

Crews practiced launching and operating both systems before a small contingent of news media on board the Swift, managing to bring back video of vessels participating in a mock surveillance mission as well as radar and video images of the fishing charters and sailboats that dot the choppy seas separating Cuba from the U.S. mainland.

The drone, officially a Puma All Environment unmanned aircraft system from Aerovironment Inc. of Simi Valley, California, splashed into the water on one landing and had to be retrieved. On the second round, it clacked noisily but intact on the shifting deck of the 321-foot ship. Rear Adm. Sinclair Harris, commander of the Navy’s 4th Fleet, said the devices are necessary at a time when the service is making a transition to smaller, faster ships amid budget cuts.

The aerostat, formally the Aerostar TIF-25K and made by a division of Raven Industries Inc. of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is filled with helium. It’s an old technology, models of which have been used for decades, but it’s packed with cameras and sensors that expand the ship’s radar capability from about 5 miles (8 kilometers) to about 50 miles. That can help teams in an on-board control center to identify larger ships, which now would appear as just dots on the horizon, from as far as 15 miles (25 kilometers) away.

The Puma, meanwhile, can be sent out to inspect a vessel flagged by the larger aerostat and give a “God’s eye view,” of what’s happening on board, a job usually handled by a plane or helicopter, said Craig Benson, director of business development for the company.

RELATED: Doctors flee Puerto Rico for US mainland

Both the aerostat and the drone have been used widely by the U.S. government for overseas actions, but Harris and others aboard the Swift said neither has been used before by the Navy to conduct counter-drug operations.

Unmanned aerial devices, however, are not new to the drug fight. U.S. Customs and Border Protection operates 10 Predator drones, including two based in Cape Canaveral, Florida, that patrol a wide swathe of the Caribbean through the Bahamas and down to south of Puerto Rico. It deployed one to the Dominican Republic last year for six weeks and has considered using one in Honduras. The others are used along the northern and southern borders of the United States.

The U.S. military has long been deeply involved in counter-drug operations in the Southern Hemisphere, coordinated by a multi-agency task force based in Key West, Florida. Navy ships and Air Force jets use their radar to track and run down smugglers, though for legal reasons the actual arrests are carried out by the Coast Guard, civilian agencies or officials from other countries.

In March, the military said it would reduce patrols and sorties in Latin America and the Caribbean because of the automatic spending cuts imposed by Congress, another argument for increased use of aerial surveillance devices like the aerostat and drone, officials said.

Representatives on the Swift from both contractors declined to say what their systems cost. But they said each can be run at a fraction of the cost of the fixed-wing planes or helicopters usually dispatched to check out suspected smugglers.

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“I’m not happy with the way the United States government has gone about its relations with my country of Puerto Rico over the years,” Rodriguez told NBC Latino.

“The bottom line is the situation in Puerto Rico is undemocratic,” she says. “I want it to change. I want Puerto Rico to have independence.”

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Rodriguez says she was forced to stand by school officials. “What they did was in violation of my constitutional rights. I know a lot about the United States constitution — not only is it violating Montgomery County policies but also violating the constitution. I wasn’t disturbing anyone.”

Montgomery County schools spokesman Dana Tofig says school policy is clearly in Rodriguez’ favor and the situation is being investigated.

“The policy is very clear, students do not have to participate in patriotic exercises,” Tofig says. “We’re very clear in our regulations that students and staff do not have to participate.”

The American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland has become involved by writing a letter to the school district saying Rodriguez’ rights were violated.

“The problem here is not their policy, it’s the implementation,” says David Rocah, ACLU of Maryland staff attorney. “This should not be rocket science.” Regarding a pledge of allegiance, Rocah says the country should, “inspire it, not compel it — this is not a totalitarian country.”

Rodriguez’ father Osiris, who works for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, says her the family is not trying to challenge teachers and authorities, but they want to create an environment where ideas are exchanged.

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“She’s very passionate about her ideas and the things she believes in,” he says. “If she was doing something wrong, we would have sat her down and said, ‘You know Enidris, we believe you are doing something wrong’ and asked her to correct it.”

Rodriguez, who has taken violin lessons since fourth grade, is an excellent student — her GPA currently stands at 3.8.

She’s not sure what she wants to do when she grows up. “I’ve debated this,” she says. “For years I wanted to do something with law. I debated being a lawyer, I debated being a politician. I have my music and I don’t want to lose that — If I don’t use it, I’ll lose it.”

In the end, she says she wants students to feel confident speaking up.

“I want people to understand they have a voice,” she says. “Teachers are not in a position to take that away as long as you’re not doing something illegal. Students voices are heard the least and we can’t be afraid to use [them].”