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 Gina Rodriguez isn't acting when it comes to committing to acts of kindness. 
 
 The “Jane the Virgin” star is using her stipend for Emmy campaigning to fund a college scholarship for an undocumented high school student, according to The Hollywood Reporter. 
 
 'Jane the Virgin' star Gina Rodriguez is using her Emmy For Your Consideration money to fund a college scholarship for a Latinx student. Jordan Strauss / AP 
 
 "Our show has always jumped at any opportunity to help me do something for the Latinx community," Rodriguez told the industry trade. "So I asked my showrunner, Jennie (Snyder Urman), if we could do something different with the money this year." 
 
 The "For Your Consideration" money comes from her series' production company, CBS TV Studios, earmarked or use in paying for a stylist and other costs related to campaigning during award season. But Rodriguez decided to spend it differently this year. The 33-year-old actress enlisted Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles to help her find the right student of Latinx descent on whom to bestow the four-year scholarship. The unnamed recipient will now get the chance to attend Princeton University without incurring debt, THR reported. 
 
 Rodriguez said she hoped news of the scholarship would inspire others to make similar gestures. 
 
 The star has a history of using her celebrity to make fans' lives a little brighter: In 2016, she loaned the black Badgley Mischka dress she wore to the previous year's Golden Globes to a Buffalo teen for prom. 
 
 She has also been a vocal advocate against the Trump administration's immigration policies on social media. 
 
 "Children fleeing violence and unrest don't deserve to be ripped from their families. They have come knocking on America's door asking for a safe haven and they deserve better," Rodriguez tweeted on June 1. 

 This year, the 'Jane the Virgin' star decided to put her allotted FYC spend from CBS TV Studios toward paying for the education of an undocumented high school student. 
 
 Gina Rodriguez will be throwing her hat in the Emmy ring for the fourth (and penultimate) season of her CW comedy, Jane the Virgin. She just won't be spending studio money on glam for campaign events or themed swag — though, as a recent episode of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt suggests, a Jane-branded pregnancy test would be quite a novelty. 
 
 "FYC is a bizarre dance," says the star. "Whatever you do requires an insane amount of money." 
 
 So this year, Rodriguez decided to put her allotted FYC spend from CBS TV Studios toward a college scholarship for an undocumented high school student. 
 
 "Our show has always jumped at any opportunity to help me do something for the Latinx community," says Rodriguez. "So I asked my showrunner, Jennie [Snyder Urman], if we could do something different with the money this year." 
 
 Rodriguez, 33, who won a 2015 Golden Globe for Jane, partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles to find the right applicant — a Princeton University-bound young woman who'll now be able to complete all four years without financial burden. 
 
 And while Rodriguez says she's been invigorated by her decision, she had mixed feelings about revealing it. 
 
 "It's taboo to talk about the money being spent, but it's the reality," says Rodriguez. "I think sharing this might inspire other people to do something similar. You can desire recognition and, at the same time, decide to not play in the confines of the game as it's set up." 
 
 This story first appeared in the June 13 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe. 

 Every year in advance of the Emmy nominations, TV networks and studios shell out massive sums of money on campaigns to promote their submitted creatives and shows. The promotions, aptly labeled “For Your Consideration” (or FYC), can range from billboards and bus ads around Los Angeles and New York to show-branded swag and screeners sent to TV Academy members. It’s an expensive process, and it often fails to pay off. This year, Jane the Virgin star Gina Rodriguez has convinced The CW that 2018’s FYC money for the show would be better spent funding a college scholarship for an undocumented Latinx student. 
 
 Per the Hollywood Reporter, Rodriguez — who has served on the Hispanic Scholarship Fund’s board of directors since 2015 — worked with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles to find the perfect candidate, an unnamed Latina high school student who will be attending Princeton University in the fall. The Hollywood Reporter says the scholarship will cover all four years of her education. 
 
 Though Rodriguez told the Hollywood Reporter that she hesitated about going public with the decision, Jane the Virgin is one of several series (including Netflix’s One Day at a Time reboot) that have highlighted the stories and challenges of undocumented immigrants in America over the past few years. In that way, the scholarship still effectively functions as a promotion of the show’s values while serving a greater (and vastly more urgent) purpose. 
 
 “I think sharing this might inspire other people to do something similar,” she explained. “You can desire recognition and, at the same time, decide to not play in the confines of the game as it’s set up.” 
 
 Criminally, Rodriguez has never been nominated for an Emmy; she won a Golden Globe in 2015 and received nominations in 2016 and 2017 for her work on Jane the Virgin. The show returns for its fifth and final season in 2019. 
 
 Though it’s unclear whether Rodriguez’s scholarship student is a DACA or DREAM Act beneficiary, it’s worth noting that several immigration bills are currently being debated in Congress that would determine the fate of over 1 million undocumented young people. 

 The word “Latinx” (pronounced “La-teen-ex”) has been used more and more lately. And, yet, while many people are using the term and identifying as Latinx, there are still others who may look at the word with skepticism and confusion. 
 
 In recent months, HuffPost Latino Voices has incorporated usage of Latinx into some of our articles to reflect this change, to which some readers have responded by saying: 
 
 “You misspelled ‘Latino.’” 
 
 “Latinx isn’t a word.” 
 
 “I keep seeing Latinx... what does it mean?” 
 
 No, it’s not a typo. Yes, Latinx is, in fact, a word ― one many people identify with for various reasons. And if you’ve been online in the last couple of years, you’ve likely noticed the word popping up in your social media news feeds and in various articles in lieu of such identifiers as Latino, Latina or Latin@. There’s a reason for that ― allow us to explain. 
 
 What does Latinx mean? 
 
 Latinx is the gender-neutral alternative to Latino, Latina and even Latin@. Used by scholars, activists and an increasing number of journalists, Latinx is quickly gaining popularity among the general public. It’s part of a “linguistic revolution” that aims to move beyond gender binaries and is inclusive of the intersecting identities of Latin American descendants. In addition to men and women from all racial backgrounds, Latinx also makes room for people who are trans, queer, agender, non-binary, gender non-conforming or gender fluid. 
 
 “In Spanish, the masculinized version of words is considered gender neutral. But that obviously doesn’t work for some of us because I don’t think it’s appropriate to assign masculinity as gender neutral when it isn’t,” explains queer, non-binary femme writer Jack Qu’emi Gutiérrez in an interview with PRI. “The ‘x,’ in a lot of ways, is a way of rejecting the gendering of words to begin with, especially since Spanish is such a gendered language.” 
 
 Latinx is also, as pointed out by writer Gabe Gonzalez, a way to reclaim identity, a form of rebellion against “the language and legacy of European traditions that were imposed on the Americas.” 
 
 Here’s why people are using the term “Latinx:” 
 
 Languages change in order to accommodate the times in which it’s used, and in a year where discussions about trans and non-binary identity are at the forefront, it makes sense for “Latino” to evolve. 
 
 Though it is understood that many people may not identify as Latinx for various reasons, we feel it is important that we respect others who do and who want to be referred to as such. For what it’s worth, using Latinx in general is a way to be more inclusive of identities that go beyond the every day gender and racial norms that are rapidly shifting and being redefined in today’s culture. It’s not a perfect term, but for many people out there, it’s the beginning of a linguistic revolution. “[Latinx] is just one word,” explains Gutiérrez. “We adapt to survive in this kind of environment, you know, we also adapt our language. It’s vital to just expressing who we are and being able to explain to others in our own community, ‘Hey, we’re here. This is how you can be respectful of us. Acknowledge us.’” 
 
 Where did the term originate? 
 
 Latinx first began to emerge within queer communities on the internet in 2004, and saw a rise in popularity in late 2014, according to Complex. By 2015, Google searches for the term began to increase (see the graph below) and Latinx became a widely-used identifier both on social media platforms like Tumblr and in scholarly work. Many scholars and activists praise the term’s ability to better include many groups of people while challenging cultural and norms. 
 
 Why not everyone is on board 
 
 Despite the growing popularity of the term, Latinx has been faced with criticism. Many opponents of the term have suggested that using an un-gendered noun like Latinx is disrespectful to the Spanish language and some have even called the term “a blatant form of linguistic imperialism.” However, in defense of the term, Brooklyn College professors María R. Scharrón-del Río and Alan A. Aja argue that the Spanish language itself is a form of linguistic imperialism for Latin Americans. 
 
 “Are we not aware that upon the arrival of the conquistadores and subsequent acts of genocide, a few thousand indigenous languages existed in the Americas, and a few resilient hundred continue to be spoken today?” they explain in a piece on LatinoRebels.com. “Not to mention the attempted erasure of African languages via the violence of slavery and colonialism.” 
 
 They go on to point out that many of the indigenous languages throughout Latin America and the world range from genderless to multi-gendered. 
 
 However, writer Monse Arce argues that Latinx is just as problematic as Latino and Latina. “They’re blanket terms that were invented to group us all under one common colonized identity,” she writes in Affinity Magazine. 
 
 Then, there are individuals who say they have chosen not to adopt the term because “Latinx doesn’t roll off the tongue when you’re speaking Spanish.” 
 
 As Complex points out, “‘Latinx’ is not the perfect identifying term, so it shouldn’t be treated as the answer in the ongoing quest to develop a cohesive postcolonial identity.” But its usage has been gaining traction, and people are taking notice. 
 
 It’s with this in mind that Latino Voices is incorporating the term Latinx into our coverage. We believe every individual’s identity is complicated and nuanced ― and deserves to be acknowledged and respected. 
 
 Does the term Latinx resonate with you? Let us know, why or why not in the comment section below.
– Right now, Gina Rodriguez could be spending the money doled out to her by CBS Television Studios to promote her Emmy run. But the Jane the Virgin star decided to use the cash for something else instead: setting up a college scholarship for an undocumented Latinx immigrant. Today and the Verge note that money in an actor's FYC (for your consideration) fund is typically used to help campaign during awards season, paying for everything from stylists and swag to billboards, bus ads, and TV screeners. But per the Hollywood Reporter, the 33-year-old actress opted to divert the funds toward an unrelated cause. "Our show has always jumped at any opportunity to help me do something for the Latinx community," Rodriguez says. "So I asked my showrunner … if we could do something different with the money this year." Working with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles, they found their candidate for the four-year scholarship: a female high school student headed to Princeton. Rodriguez wasn't sure she wanted to publicize her good deed, but she ultimately decided it could have a copycat effect. "I think sharing this might inspire other people to do something similar," she tells the Hollywood Reporter. Rodriguez has never been nominated for an Emmy, though she did win a Golden Globe in 2015 and was nominated in both 2016 and 2017. (A $33 million Jeff Bezos donation will send 1,000 Dreamers to college.)