If you peered inside Worcester fashion blogger Joeanna Rodriguez’s closet, you would find black leather pants, suede pumps, Peter Pan collars, hi-top sneakers, acid-wash jeans and knit beanies. The 23-year-old fashion styling student has a head-turning style and a bilingual fashion blog, ItsMyMojo.

For Rodriguez, the transition from being fashionable around town to fashion blogging was born from a family tragedy. On July 21, 2013, Rodriguez’s 21-year-old sister was killed when a drunk driver crossed the yellow line.

“I was numb for months,” Rodriguez said. Understandably, her sister’s death took a toll on her relationship, work life and the family’s dynamic. “I needed to find a way to release some of the pain,” she said. “I needed an outlet, not for distraction or to cover up the grief, but a way to turn some of the hurt into positive energy.”

Rodriguez’s boyfriend, and blog photographer, Alejandro Mendez, had been suggesting she begin a blog for almost two years before the accident, but Rodriguez wasn’t confident her style would gain an audience. Rodriguez said her mother fostered strength of character in her children from a young age and that helped her move forward. “She always encouraged self-expression, boldness and respect for others,” Rodriguez said.

On January 12, 2014, ItsMyMojo went live.

A native Spanish speaker, Rodriguez hails from Puerto Rico and now lives in Worcester. Since moving to the United States, she said, Spanish has slowly become her second language. “I never want to lose, or forget, my roots,” she said. As a bilingual Spanish-English blogger, Rodriguez maintains her Latina identity and stays true to her heritage.

While Rodriguez prefers to sport tank tops and soccer shorts around the house, she draws her fashion inspiration from Sarah Jessica Parker. She applauds the actress for maintaining class while exuding an “effortless fashionably fearless attitude.” She added, “I believe women that show less have so much more to offer.”

Although she draws inspiration from global fashion icons, Rodriguez keeps her shopping local because supporting Worcester is very important to her. “I want to see everyone in Worcester make it; that’s why I shop locally and do my best to feature local items on the blog,” she said.

Frequenting boutiques like Grime Clothing and Alexis Grace Consignment, Rodriguez blends sophisticated vintage, hip-hop and haute couture pieces and pulls them together with a chic polish.

She even remains local when shopping online. STR&NDS and Final Assembly, the latter of which is owned by Mendez, are both Worcester clothing and accessory brands available online.

This fall, Rodriguez predicts, the thousands of college students who call Worcester home during the academic year will once again don furs, knits and tribal and western prints. However, the 2014 emphasis is size, Rodriguez said. “Bigger sweaters, bigger pants, bigger coats, oversized everything ~ the bigger the better!”

Rodriguez will pursue her associate of arts degree in fashion styling this fall through the Academy of Arts University. Her goal is to one day establish an imaging and brand consulting company.

To check out ItsMyMojo, visit itsmymojo.net

By Emily Gowdey-Backus | Photos by Alejandro Mendez