Rodrigo Gómez Claros is a Hispanic artist from Colombia who enjoys telling stories to help others be receptive to immigrants and their cultural backgrounds. He is passionate about the immigrant story since he is an immigrant himself. He is a director and producer of animated content for preschoolers, and is currently Assistant Professor of Animation at Middle Tennessee State University Prior to MTSU, he worked for over 14 years for Mattel/Fisher-Price as a producer and director of animated cartoons for children, corporate videos and commercials. Rodrigo is passionate about the creative process of animation and the search for new stories to create innovative visuals. He enjoys working with students on exploring their most creative ideas while striving for the highest level of quality.
Rodrigo holds a Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design from the National University of Colombia, and a Master’s degree in Computer Animation from the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York. He has taught in multiple colleges in his native Colombia and the USA. He is married with two children, and he is also a not so serious soccer fan.
Milly and Roots: The Headscarf is his first book. Milly is a happy little girl who loves planting seeds, watching vegetables grow in her grandma’s rooftop garden, and playing with her new friend, Aamira, on the school playground. But one day when Aamira’s mother comes to the playground for a visit, Milly sees a strange cloth on her head. She can’t even see Aamira’s mother’s face! Suddenly, Milly is confused and has a lot of questions she needs answered. After Milly asks her grandma about the cloth, she is led on an exciting adventure guided by an uninhibited potato (Roots) and other imaginary root vegetable friends, where she learns to accept others, even when they are different from her.
The book launch for The Headscarf will be held at the Technology Engagement Center on Sunday, February 9th from 2-4pm. This event is free to the public and will include a book signing and reading by the author. Additionally, there will be activities, arts and crafts for families to enjoy. So join us for a night of diversity and intercultural exchange!
The TEC is located at
306 Minerva Drive
Murfreesboro, TN
37130