When Bridgette Rodriguez isn’t busy being a single mother or assistant to City Council member Lake Ray, she’s moving one step closer to the job of her dreams as a voice on FM-101.5.
DON’T CALL HER A DJ
“I’m an on air personality. Nowadays, everything has become very computerized in the radio business. Before I even get to work, the program director has selected the music that I’ll play. It’s really more like a science and Clear Channel does a lot of research to determine what music people want to hear. It’s not me picking the songs.”
DREAM JOB
“I would love to be on something like ‘Entertainment Tonight’ or maybe hosting a show dealing with music. I could see myself producing a television show on MTV. I’d like to get into acting, too.”
TAKING THE PLUNGE
“As far as working full-time on the radio, there are opportunities out there but, ultimately, it is my decision. Sometimes I feel like the adventurous side of me has left the building. Plus, I have a daughter to think about and support. But, maybe.”
BIGGEST INFLUENCE?
“My parents definitely have a huge impact on me. My mom, Valencia, was a single mother and she had to sacrifice so much to get me a good education while I was growing up. I got a really well-rounded upbringing and she’s made me see the kind of mom that I want to be for my daughter. My dad is also a real inspiration. He’s a self-made man [Rodriguez’s father is Undersheriff Joseph Henry]. Right now he’s battling cancer, but he’s handling it so well. You would never know he was suffering. I wish I could handle the stresses in my life the way he does.”
DON’T RECOGNIZE HER NAME FROM THE RADIO?
“Well my entertainment name is Summer,” she said. Last name? “Nope. Just Summer. If you call the City Council after hours and you get the voice mail, that’s Summer, too.”
Summer is also the name of Rodriguez’s daughter.
BEING A SINGLE PARENT?
“I’m really lucky to have a lot of support from extended family and everything is working out wonderfully. I don’t think my daughter is missing out on anything.”
HOW WOULD A FRIEND DESCRIBE YOU?
“People always say, ‘She can work a room.’ I think that’s a pretty safe assumption. When I leave a room I want people to remember me. I want to steal the show and when I do, I love it. It’s what I live for.”
— by J. Brooks Terry