Meet Odalis Rojas

We had the good fortune of connecting with Odalis Rojas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Odalis, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
This is a constant debate with my cousins who grew up in Brooklyn and Queens. I was born in the Lower East side of New York City, lived in Queens until I was 6 and then migrated to Jersey and basically moved around frequently until settling into a sweet little suburb. Once I graduated high school, I made my way back to NYC not before stopping for a couple months here in LA of course, lived there 3 years and now it will be 4 years living here! All that to say, my heart never left the city and it’s because my cousins were always there. I can close my eyes and be back at our summer barbeques where we begged to be taken over the bridge, past the tasty honeysuckles, to the beach. Or the soccer games on a scorching day where the mamas made encebollado that always hit the spot. You’re not Latino if you haven’t fallen asleep on those plastic white chairs during a 4am banger. We came from immigrant parents and you better believe Ecuador and all its goodness pumped throughout our veins and still does today. The good and the pressure to be more than they ever could because they had to focus on surviving and having some fun while doing so. I carry so much of my family with me at all moments. The resilience and open heartedness of the beautiful women I have the honor to call my sisters and mother, keeps me pushing forward on the days when life feels heavy. The spunk and quirkiness that I encourage myself to show is a manifestation of the love and tribulations of my upbringing.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
In order to be where I am today I had to take big risks, over and over again. Each time, allowing myself to jump with no guarantee of any net to break my fall. It’s a feeling that grows within my belly and usually directs where I have to move next. Most times it meant leaving some form of stability or comfort, or even giving up for a time the art that drives me. Where I would end up always surprised me. It was most certainly not easy and there are days when that struggle is still very real. I am fortunate to have shoulders to cry on and ears to vent to, for that I will always be grateful but I also trust that I am held by something greater than what I can see. I followed in my sister’s footsteps and found the courage to confront the unknown. In that way, I learned that not only will you make your way back to yourself and your passion but that being an artist means being a vulnerable, receptive and giving human first. Oh boy does that take work, shadow work specifically. All those moments of stillness or grieving, be it an aspect of oneself or another, prepare you for the next phase of your life you are meant to enter. At least that’s my truth. I am most proud of all the things I am working towards today. Such as going back to school as a full-time student, acting and finding a creative home filled with incredible individuals.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Aside from family, that I mentioned before impact everyday of my life. I would have to give my shoutout to the Bloomfield high school stage crew and theater program all together. My love of this craft came to be from a small group of misfits that gathered even on snow days to complete the creative vision for our productions. The loyalty we had to the art but mostly to our teacher and each other was magical. It kept me safe when everything outside that auditorium was too difficult to manage.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/odalisayme/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr#