Gina Rodriguez to produce, host awards show honoring young women

Chicago actress Gina Rodriguez is producing and hosting a new ceremony honoring young women making a difference in the world.

Marie Claire magazine’s Young Women’s Honors will air Dec. 19 on the CW network, it was announced Thursday.

In a statement, Rodriguez said her goal in creating the ceremony was to foster the “unlimited potential” in every woman. The Golden Globe-winning actress, who stars in the CW series “Jane the Virgin” and the current movie hit “Deepwater Horizon,” said she had to break down barriers as a young Latina.

Seeing others following their dreams allows you to follow your own, Rodriguez said.

Women of achievement in a variety of fields including technology, science and education were selected by a blue-ribbon panel. It’s chaired by Rodriguez and includes, among others, Anne Fulenwider, Marie Claire’s editor-in-chief, and Dr. Julie Vose, past president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Rodriguez, who was born in Pilsen and grew up on the Northwest Side, is a graduate of Saint Ignatius College Prep.