Latina Leader Spotlight: Lucy Rodriguez

Q: Introduce yourself! Where do you live and what is your ethnic background?

A: Hi, I’m Lucy Rodriguez. I currently live in South Jersey, but I’m a native Philadelphian and a true philly girl at heart. I am Puerto Rican and was born & raised in Philadelphia. Both my parents are Puerto Rican. Mom was born here in the states. Pop was born in PR and came over as a child. I recently had my DNA tested for ethnicity; I am 41% Spanish, 19% Portuguese, 14% Indigenous Puerto Rican, 5% England & Northwestern European, 5% French, 3% Mali, 3% European Jewish,  2% Cameroon, Congo & Westerm Bantu Peoples, 2% Southern Italian, 1% Senegal, 1% Indigenous Americas - Colombia & Venezuela, 1% Ireland, 1% Indigenous Americas - Mexico,1% Eastern Bantu Peoples, and last but not least 1% Nigerian. I have many different nationalities rolled into one. I wear them all proudly, they are me and I am them. Just call me the chameleon. I speak broken city Spanglish, and English both proper & hood.

Q: Tell us about your creation:

A: I’ve always been a creatively curious creature. Building a jewelry business gave me that outlet again.

I fell into jewelry making by complete accident, but I'm loving every minute of the whole process. I found it extremely gratifying to make something with my own two hands. I'm happiest when I'm either occupying my mind or body, preferably both. I am self taught and always learning something new. Not just the jewelry making & designing, but the website building, marketing, advertising, video making, financing, photography, shipping, networking, brand building, and hopefully empire creating. Sink or swim; it won’t be for lack of trying. I’m giving this venture my all, we’ll see where it takes me.

Q: What inspired you to start?

A: It all started with my granddaughter, as something we could do when she was over visiting. Jewelry making quickly turned into an obsession. People at work would ask me to make them things. I had jewelry and tools all over a one bedroom apartment. I had indoor photo shoots every other day. I eventually opened up my first shop.

Q: Who is your Latina role model?

A: My Latina role models are too numerous to count. They begin with the women in my life. My grandmothers, mother, daughter, granddaughter, sisters, nieces, step mom, and the family you make along the way. The good friends you’d hide bodies with. The famous ones include Rita Moreno, Rosie Perez, and Sonia Sotomayor. They are incredibly inspirational women that I truly admire. I’ve also met some incredible women online. From all of these women I’ve learned something new. These learned lessons have enriched my life in so many ways. I'm truly grateful for them and to them.

Q: What do you want other Latina creators to know?

A: I would like them to know that the only time you ever lose is when you don’t try. Don’t let fear of the unknown, mistakes, or ridicule hold you back. You will make mistakes, some big, some small, learn from them and keep it moving. Don’t dwell on them.

Another important tip is to remove yourself from negativity; people, conversations, situations & feelings. 

Creating for me is a release of energy. So when I say it's made with love it definitely is, there is a passion & emotion in it. You get a part of me in each piece I create. We can create incredible things when we set our minds to it. You are never too young or too old to learn something new. Believe in yourself, talk to yourself if you have to, sh#t I do. You give yourself enough pep talks, you believe what you hear. Life is too short not to shoot for your dreams or be unhappy. 

And lastly, I believe in women empowering other women. I offer my support to others in need in any way I can, and welcome collaborations. Let’s help lift one another up.

Q: Any upcoming big announcements we should stay tuned for? 

A: In the future, I would like to fashion merchandise, with the proceeds going toward MS research. There are some exciting things happening with neurological disorder research today, I’d like to be a part of it in some way.

Q: How can people support/keep up with you?

A: People can keep up, reach out, or support me at https://beacons.page/swagbag2021 or email: info@swagbag2021.com Please feel free to reach out and connect with me anytime. Stay safe & God bless.