'Jane the Virgin' star Gina Rodriguez to use Emmy campaign budget to fund undocumented student's tuition
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Gina Rodriguez is taking a different approach with her Emmy campaign budget. (Getty Images)
At least one student won’t have pay a penny to attend the Ivy League institution of Princeton thanks to the philanthropy of "Jane the Virgin" actress Gina Rodriguez.
The CW star will use the funds allocated to her Emmy nomination campaign by the network to fully fund an undocumented student’s tuition to Princeton, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Assuming the price of tuition doesn’t fluctuate, an incoming Princeton University student can expect to pay around $280,000 to cover four years of education without financial aid or grants.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Our show has always jumped at any opportunity to help me do something for the Latinx community," Rodriguez said. "So I asked my showrunner, Jennie [Snyder Urman], if we could do something different with the money this year."
Whether deliberate or not, this move puts a significant twist on the typical campaign format, which some production companies spend over $2 million on for elaborately packaged DVD’s and guerilla advertising to attract the Academy of over 22,000 members to vote, according to the New York Times.
A board member of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, Rodriguez worked with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles to find an appropriate applicant.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Time will tell if this strategy will be reciprocated with nominations, which will be announced July 12.
“Jane the Virgin” has been nominated for 2 Emmys since its debut in 2014. Rodriguez won a Golden Globe in 2015 for best actress in a musical or comedy.