Hello, Class of 2026!

Name: Anna Belden (she/her)
Hometown: Saratoga, New York

What excites you most about starting MMC?
I plan to work as an actor, director, producer, and writer in theatre, film, and television. I’m excited to spend my time learning about these incredible subjects with creative people who share the same passion for them.

What are you most nervous about?
I’m nervous about living in New York City, but I’m even more excited about all it has to offer!

Can you share one interesting/weird/funny fact about yourself?
I write (nearly) everything in cursive! I broke my hand in gym class when I was 14, and it became easier to write exclusively in cursive with a cast on. I’ve stuck with it ever since.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve heard about starting college?
To get to know as many fellow students as possible. I can’t wait to meet everyone at MMC!

 

Name: Jojo Collins  (he/they)
Hometown: Providence, Rhode Island

What excites you most about starting MMC?
I’m excited to learn while being in the city. Also, MMC’s small class sizes and campus really speak to me, and I’m excited to get closer with folks.

What are you most nervous about?
Getting lost on my first day! Once I find my classes, I’m set, honestly.

What are your career goals?
My career aspiration is to be an actor, though I would be happy with whatever I ended up doing if it involved me getting to be creative.

Can you share one interesting/weird/funny fact about yourself?
I love roller skating and have done roller derby since I was 11 or 12!

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve heard about starting college?
College seems set in stone, but it’s not. You can change your mind about things, like your major—it’s not illegal.

 

Name: Nyah Hamilton (she/her)
Hometown: Bronx, New York

What excites you most about starting MMC?
I’m excited to start taking classes in my major, Film and Television Production. My goal is to one day be an executive producer at a world-leading broadcasting company.

What are you the most nervous about?
Getting to my classes on time!

Can you share one interesting/weird/funny fact about yourself?
I can binge-watch every season of a show in the span of one week.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve heard about starting college?
The best (and scariest) piece of advice I’ve heard is that your syllabus is your bible, and you must live by it like a religion.

 

Name: J’lyssa Herbert (she/her)
Hometown: I was born in St. Croix in the U.S Virgin Islands but have lived in Florida since I was 8.

What excites you most about starting MMC?
All the wonderful people I’m going to meet and new opportunities I’m going to experience.

What are you the most nervous about?
I’m mostly nervous about adjusting to big-city life. Things are more laid back in Florida, while in New York, they’re fast-paced.

Tell us about your career ambitions!
My ultimate career goal is to be a successful singer, songwriter, and actress! I also have high hopes of being on Broadway!

Can you share one interesting/weird/funny fact about yourself?
Whenever I am in a car and have to drive over train tracks, I lift my feet off the car floor until I’ve passed over them. I do this for good luck!

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve heard about starting college?
To make sure I make a lot of memories, create deep connections, and stay focused.

 

Name: Kara Kokolakis (she/her)
Hometown: Long Island, New York

What excites you most about starting MMC?
Getting to be a part of the incredibly welcoming community!

What are you the most nervous about?
I’m mostly nervous about living in a new area and having to make that adjustment.

Tell us about your career ambitions!
I’d love to teach theatre to aspiring performers!

Can you share one interesting/weird/funny fact about yourself?
I did Greek dance for most of my life. Greek dance includes a variety of different dances, with each island of Greece having its own traditional one. Everyone joins together in a group to perform them. That’s what makes them so special—everyone is together in that moment, and you find a family in what may be just a group of strangers because you all share the same love and soul!

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve heard about starting college?
That all the other first-year students are also in a new place, so you have a lot of people to work with and find your way with!

 

Name: Victor Pascucci (he/they)
Hometown: I’m from Chicago but was raised in San Antonio.

What excites you most about starting MMC?
I want to be a professional actor, go on to do TV and film, and most importantly, be on stage. So I’m most excited about the theatre program because it lets me do what I love more than anything in my favorite city on Earth.

What are you most nervous about?
Meeting people within and outside my major, but I’m sure I’ll get to know a lot of other students once classes start!

Can you share one interesting/weird/funny fact about yourself?
One fun fact about me is that I got to host my own musical theatre concert before coming to college. I did it as my senior project in high school—they let us take time off from our academic courses to pursue a passion project. It took a lot of work to write a show, book the venue (I used my old middle school), and manage ticket sales. But the weeks of planning and rehearsing paid off, and the final product was everything I could ask for. I’d never felt prouder and happier in my entire life. It forced me to be very vulnerable onstage, and I’ll forever be grateful for the experience.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve heard about starting college?
To simply enjoy it because you’re only young once.

 

Name: Chayene Ross (he/him)
Hometown: Lake Mary, Florida

What excites you most about starting MMC?
I’m honestly excited to meet a diverse group of people I can explore NYC with.

What are you the most nervous about?
Navigating the subway and streets! I’m kind of directionally challenged!

Tell us about your career ambitions!
I plan on working in the nonprofit/social justice sector. My ultimate goal is to use my voice to inspire change and aid disadvantaged communities.

Can you share one interesting/weird/funny fact about yourself?
An interesting fact about me is I took my first ever ballet class four years ago, and now I’m majoring in it!

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve heard about starting college?
It’s not about what you know but who you know, meaning the connections you make in your chosen field could greatly increase your job mobility and post-graduation opportunities. Building my professional network is one of my goals at MMC.

 

Name: Nisa Tatum (she/they)
Hometown: Baltimore, but my dad was in the military until I was 10, so I’ve lived in plenty of other places, including Hawaii and North Carolina.

What excites you most about starting MMC?
The new environment and being able to dance in the city!

What are you the most nervous about?
Making friends and keeping my mental health in check—the frustrating thing about mental illness is that it’s never healed completely, but you learn to cope. I know being in a new environment will be a challenge, but dance has consistently been my safe coping mechanism. So, while I know I’ll have low points, I also know that I’ll have dance to rely on if things get rough mentally.

Tell us about your career ambitions!
When I first started dancing, my family was low-income compared to my classmates. I was jealous of kids who’d grown up going to dance conventions because my family couldn’t afford it until I was about nine. I don’t want kids to feel like they have to pay thousands of dollars to train, so my goal is to start a dance convention organization for families like mine. I would love to also dance on Broadway, for an NBA team, or on a cruise! I want to be able to share my art with others.

Can you share one interesting/weird/funny fact about yourself?
My fun fact is I’ve seen every episode of Criminal Minds five times! I honestly could quote every episode.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve heard about starting college?
To get a mattress topper. I love sleeping so much!

 

Name: Genesis Tijerina (she/her)
Hometown: San Antonio, Texas

What excites you most about starting MMC?
I’m excited to meet new people! The diversity here is absolutely incredible.

What are you the most nervous about?
Leaving my hometown and family behind to follow my dreams!

Tell us about your career ambitions!
I plan to study Behavioral Neuroscience. I want to be a researcher or psychologist and work with the FBI one day.

Can you share one interesting/weird/funny fact about yourself?
I’m always dancing and singing. It might not be the best at dancing or singing, but I’m always having fun.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve heard about starting college?
“It ain’t big enough if it doesn’t scare the hell out of you” or “if it makes you nervous, it’s probably worth it.” Both are true!

Published: September 01, 2022