tyketime
04-22-2011, 08:32 AM
Wow - I certainly admire her courage & determination. Something tells me she has a bright future ahead of her:
A senior at a south-central Washington high school faked her pregnancy for the past six months as a social experiment for her senior project.
Gaby Rodriguez revealed she was not pregnant Wednesday by taking off the belly bundle in front of a stunned student assembly at Toppenish High School in Yakima, Wash., that ended with a standing ovation.
For six-and-a-half months, Gaby wore a homemade prosthetic "bulge," made out of wire mesh and cotton quilt batting. The Yakima Herald-Republic reported (http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2011/04/21/yh-r-story-brings-out-the-national-media-calling-for-the-girl-who-wasn-t-pregnant) only a handful of people knew Gaby was faking, including her mother, boyfriend and the principal. They helped keep the secret from some of her own siblings and her boyfriend's family and students and teachers.
"I'm fighting against those stereotypes and rumors because the reality is I'm not pregnant," Gaby revealed to the nearly 700 students at her school on Thursday. She had told her class she was due on July 27.
The surprise presentation was part of her report about the perceptions of a pregnant student. The 17-year-old A-student will share her findings in May before she graduates.
Gaby's mom, Juanita Rodriguez, agreed it was difficult to lie to the family and said "it didn't feel good," but she felt she needed to back her daughter.
Gaby's story caught the attention of media outlets across the country. "It's gone big; it's been quite a day," school principal Trevor Greene told The Herald-Republic. "We didn't anticipate that by the end of the day we'd be getting calls from, like, the TODAY (http://www.today.com/) show."
At least one college recruiter wanted to speak with Gaby, and a local business owner was so impressed with her that she wanted to offer Gaby a college scholarship, The Herald reported.
Gaby and her boyfriend, 20-year-old Jorge Orozco, met at the high school's homecoming football game when she was a freshman and he was a senior, and have dated for three years. She said she is excited she doesn't have to go to prom pregnant, and looks forward to wearing a form-fitting gown.
"In essence, she gave up her senior year," Principal Greene told the Herald-Republic. "She sacrificed her senior year to find out what it would be like to be a potential teen mom. I admire her courage. I admire her preparation. I give her mother a lot of credit for backing her up on this." He added, however, "I have a daughter that will be here next year, and I would not let her do it."
A senior at a south-central Washington high school faked her pregnancy for the past six months as a social experiment for her senior project.
Gaby Rodriguez revealed she was not pregnant Wednesday by taking off the belly bundle in front of a stunned student assembly at Toppenish High School in Yakima, Wash., that ended with a standing ovation.
For six-and-a-half months, Gaby wore a homemade prosthetic "bulge," made out of wire mesh and cotton quilt batting. The Yakima Herald-Republic reported (http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2011/04/21/yh-r-story-brings-out-the-national-media-calling-for-the-girl-who-wasn-t-pregnant) only a handful of people knew Gaby was faking, including her mother, boyfriend and the principal. They helped keep the secret from some of her own siblings and her boyfriend's family and students and teachers.
"I'm fighting against those stereotypes and rumors because the reality is I'm not pregnant," Gaby revealed to the nearly 700 students at her school on Thursday. She had told her class she was due on July 27.
The surprise presentation was part of her report about the perceptions of a pregnant student. The 17-year-old A-student will share her findings in May before she graduates.
Gaby's mom, Juanita Rodriguez, agreed it was difficult to lie to the family and said "it didn't feel good," but she felt she needed to back her daughter.
Gaby's story caught the attention of media outlets across the country. "It's gone big; it's been quite a day," school principal Trevor Greene told The Herald-Republic. "We didn't anticipate that by the end of the day we'd be getting calls from, like, the TODAY (http://www.today.com/) show."
At least one college recruiter wanted to speak with Gaby, and a local business owner was so impressed with her that she wanted to offer Gaby a college scholarship, The Herald reported.
Gaby and her boyfriend, 20-year-old Jorge Orozco, met at the high school's homecoming football game when she was a freshman and he was a senior, and have dated for three years. She said she is excited she doesn't have to go to prom pregnant, and looks forward to wearing a form-fitting gown.
"In essence, she gave up her senior year," Principal Greene told the Herald-Republic. "She sacrificed her senior year to find out what it would be like to be a potential teen mom. I admire her courage. I admire her preparation. I give her mother a lot of credit for backing her up on this." He added, however, "I have a daughter that will be here next year, and I would not let her do it."