Mashawnda was born and raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. At the age of 5, she fell in love with writing on Valentines day when her parents bought her a white teddy bear and a red notebook. She has kept a journal ever since. At the age of 14, she moved with her family to Atlanta, GA. It was in Atlanta, GA that Mashawnda fell in love with acting and the arts, and soon after she enrolled into the Drama Magnet program at Tri-Cities High School in East Point, Georgia. During this time she was under the instruction of acting coach Viola Turner. Mrs. Turner opened the doors to Atlanta’s theater community to Mashawnda. In high school Mashawnda was cast in many of the schools productions, and during this time she promised herself that she would become an actor and writer with the mission of becoming a vital part of the arts and entertainment industry, by educating people through arts and entertainment.
Well, the day did not come soon enough, and after high school Mashawnda changed career paths and entered college at North Carolina A and T State University for a Bachelors of Science in Earth and Environmental Sciences. After graduating from college she entered the workforce and worked as a scientist for several years graveyard shift, while during the day exploring the world of arts and entertainment in Atlanta, Los Angeles, and most recently, Washington, DC. During this transformational period, she was trained at TVI Actor’s studio in LA, method training with renowned acting coach Vera Katz, and working as an television development intern at Edmonds Entertainment, SimmonsLathan Media, and Morgan Freeman’s Revelations Entertainment. Mashawnda did all of this while working steadily as a scientist at several big name companies, and all the while keeping her eyes on the goal of becoming an actress and screenwriter.
Currently, she lives and works in Raleigh, North Carolina as a Quality Manager at a local Biotech company. She still has her eyes on the prize, to educate through arts and entertainment.
This blog is used to document her story.
2 Comments
December 11, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Blogwalking ..
nice posting i found here,.. thanks for the info
December 31, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Mashawnda,
I just wanted to take a minute to wish you the best in all you do. I’m not big on blogs, chat rooms, etc.. But I saw your comment on D-Nice’s website, clicked your link and was able to read little about you. I was impressed by your drive; so if no one has given you a word of encouragement in a while, I wanted to make sure you heard it at least once going into 2009. Stay focused. God Bless!!