By Satyne Doner, Editor of Arts and Culture
“There isn’t just one way to define a strong woman,” Eternity Rodriguez said. “Strong women have so many different qualities that cannot be confined to one box.”
Rodriguez cannot be confined to one box, either; the sophomore in psychology is a sister of Sigma Sigma Sigma, the current vice president of recruitment for the Panhellenic Council, a member of Saint Leo University’s choir programs, and a contestant in Miss Florida and Miss America Scholarship Organization. She is also the founder of a non-profit organization, Rockin’ With Confidence, and a volunteer with Special Olympics Florida.
Her journey to establishing Rockin’ With Confidence started with pageantry, even though as a child she never pictured herself idolizing the likes of Miss America or Miss USA. The lack of diversity disheartened her.
“I never truly saw positive representation of strong, empowered black women. I hated everything that made me unique,” Rodriguez said. “Especially my hair. I did everything in my power to conform to societal beauty standards and match my peers.”
Things changed when pageant-beauty Cheslie Kryst won Miss America 2019. For Rodriguez, this was the first time someone who looked like her won such an award. This feeling of empowerment and inclusion impacted her so much that she decided to help others feel the same.
In May 2021, Rodriguez founded Rockin’ With Confidence, a movement dedicated to diversity, equity, inclusion, and positive representation. She uses social media platforms to spread uplifting messages, affirmations, and stories of diversity.
“The more we are exposed to inclusion, diversity, and representation, the easier acceptance becomes,” Rodriguez explained. “This movement isn’t just dedicated to one demographic […] everyone deserves to feel represented, included, and accepted.”
While Rockin’ With Confidence serves as Rodriguez’s personal passion project, she uses outside platforms to help spread her message. As a unified partner with the Area 5 Hernando County region of the Special Olympics Florida, she hopes to continue building a platform of awareness and inclusivity for those with intellectual disabilities.
Moreover, her experience with pageantry didn’t just act as a catalyst for her confidence platform. It also taught her valuable life skills such as personal branding, marketing, and public speaking. She encourages other young women to get involved and start bettering their community.
“I would encourage any young women who want to earn scholarship money, have a dedication to service, style, and success, to join pageantry,” Rodriguez says. “If they want to be part of an ever-growing sisterhood, give the Miss America organization a chance because it is life changing.”
In the future, Rodriguez hopes to continue growing the Rockin’ With Confidence movement and partner with other organizations that already work in diverse communities. She will continue to grow within her Saint Leo community as well as her various pageantry and volunteering endeavors. She also wants to create confidence-building workshops and other educational opportunities for people of all backgrounds to come together and celebrate their diversity.
“I hope to be able […] to show that representation matters, and diversity, equity, and inclusion play a huge role in building the confidence of our youth.”
