Born in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, and raised in Jacksonville, Alabama, Rodriguez grew up in a military family that frequently attended the Soldier Show, an annual song-and-dance production featuring members of the United States Army. Initially, she planned to follow in her family's footsteps and join the military, aiming to become a JAG officer and perform in the Soldier Show.
Throughout high school, Rodriguez actively pursued her love of the arts, participating in the choir and band, where she played clarinet, and starring in the school musical her senior year. When it came time to apply for college, she initially intended to join the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program but ultimately decided to study art with a concentration in political science and Spanish, minoring in theatre, which earned her a scholarship.
Rodriguez graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Alabama and then returned to work at the Jacksonville McDonald's, where she had worked throughout high school, to save for a move to New York City. In New York, she prepared for a career in public service, planning to take the foreign service test to become an ambassador, with a desire to represent a Spanish-speaking country.
However, she heard about an audition for a national tour of "Dora the Explorer" and decided to audition on a whim. She booked the tour and spent nearly two years on the road. After an injury during the tour, she moved back home to Alabama to recover and subsequently booked a union job in Atlanta to pay for her medical expenses.
Rodriguez's early film credits include "The Valet" opposite Eugenio Derbez, Samara Weaving, and Max Greenfield, as well as "The In Between" (Paramount+),"Night Teeth" (Netflix),"The Suicide Squad" (Warner Bros.),and her feature film debut in "Pitch Perfect 3" (Universal Pictures).
On television, she starred on the long-running crime-drama series "The Blacklist" alongside James Spader, playing Weecha Xiu, Raymond 'Red' Reddington's bodyguard. Her additional television credits include roles on "Twisted Metal," "Law & Order: Organized Crime," "Bull," "NCIS: New Orleans," "Bigger," "Long Slow Exhale," "Tell Me Your Secrets," "The Outsider," "The Purge," "Ray Donavan," "Lodge 49," and "Stan Against Evil."
Rodriguez is actively involved in local causes and politics, supporting organizations such as The Arc Georgia, Planned Parenthood of Georgia, B.L.A.C.T. ATL, Latinas in Media Atlanta, and Out of Hand Theater Atlanta, among others. She is also a founding member of the social justice organization, Coalition for Racial Equity (CREAT),which aims to remove barriers that prevent full and equitable inclusion of Black, Indigenous, and people of color in the theater-making process.
In her free time, Rodriguez enjoys bike riding, watching television and film, and studying her craft. She continues to have a passion for the law and public service and plans to pursue a career in this field as well.
