The "Lone and only" series featuring: Raysa Rodriguez

This is Ray.

She's our newest sister, Lone family member and the definition of courageous beauty. Courage isn't just being fearless, it's facing your fears and conquering them, which is what she does every day. Here in her own words, a little more about this badass babe:

What makes you most proud of who you are? 

I have never felt confident enough in myself to make the decisions I actually wanted in my life until recently. The older I get, the more I realize that there will always be new things to discover about ourselves. It's quite hard to be confident and trust your intuition about the decisions you make in your life when everyone's telling you what to do or who to be. I never thought I'd be confident and brave enough to make big or small decisions in my life without considering others' opinions about what I should be doing or not, and that's something I recently realized I have the power to do. When you do things confidently, whether they turn out good or bad, part of making that decision, whether it's a small or a big one, will make you happy because you went ahead and decided it with your heart. 

What gives you courage right now?

What gives me courage is the people I surround myself with. I believe this is the case for most people. If you surround yourself with negativity or people who are constantly doubting you or putting you down, you're most likely to feel the same and not be courageous enough to be yourself or chase your dreams. I am blessed to wake up to beautiful people in my life who uplift me, believe in me, love and support me. This gives me the courage to try and be anything because I know no matter which way things go, they'll always be my backbone.

What makes someone family to you?

It might sound harsh but blood and titles mean nothing to me. It is all about the way you open up your heart to someone, the way you love them, the way you show them unconditional support even when you don't agree with them, the way you can't wait to make up after a fight just because life is better when you have that sister or husband or friend around. This is what makes someone family to me, and I'm blessed to be surrounded by people who I happily and wholeheartedly consider, and will always consider my family.

Tell me one of the most important things anyone has ever said to you.

One of the most important things anyone's ever told me is: do not waste time worrying about the things you can't control. It was during a time in my life when a lot of things were going south to say the least. But at the end of all of this, I learned to focus my energy on the things I can control. It's something I still wake up trying to do everyday. It isn't easy but you live a much peaceful life when you accept that not everything's going to go your way all the time and that some things can't be helped, they're just meant to happen whether you wanted them to happen or not. You can't stop the rain from falling so why spend your day complaining about it, right?

What deodorant do you currently wear?

Lone MINT MINT MINT. My absolutely favorite. I've even thought about rubbing it all over my skin like lotion. So fresh, and feels so lightweight. Smells so minty and fresh but at the same time, it's not strong enough to make you want to throw up.