Most of you know me as a Weather Anchor here in New York City and writer for parenting sites like BabyCenter and Mom.me, in addition to my Weather Anchor Mama blog. But did you know that I’m also an actress? Okay, you got me. I wouldn’t exactly call myself an actress. But I did score a recurring reporter role on Fox’s former hit show, The Following. I worked with some of Hollywood’s top actors like Kevin Bacon and Jessica Stoup.
I’m so grateful to have had this experience, and I’m even more honored for the connections I’ve made. I’ve learned so much from my time on set of The Following as well. One memorable moment in particular changed my view about my kids going to college.
We were in between shooting scenes when Jessica Stroup came over and joined in a conversation I was having with some of the crew members. We had been talking about breaking into the industry when she shared her story.
She talked about being a senior in high school with no formal acting experience, other than school productions. Jessica said that a teacher had asked her class to reveal what they planned on doing after graduation. The North Carolina native revealed that she’d be moving to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career.
Her teacher pulled her aside and told her to reconsider going to college prior to tackling her life’s dream. But she decided to continue on with her plan despite the woman’s advice.
The mom in me asked, “What did your mom say?”
“My mom helped me find a place in L.A. and came with me,” she said.
Every parent wants the best for their child. As a mom, I want to teach my kids to go after their dreams. But I also want them to go to college. I don’t know what I’d do if one of my children said that they wanted skip a higher eduction to become an actor, actress, or any other profession for that matter.
However, having this conversation with Jessica Stroup has changed my views. Don’t get me wrong, I still plan to encourage my kids to attend college. But I’m also willing to support a dream they’re passionate about because having the support of your family is important.
Jessica said she had a plan in place. She’d give herself about two years and if her acting career didn’t take off, she’d start college. It was down to the wire when she scored her first featured role and the rest is history.
Being a journalist is not that different. Like any actor, being mobile and flexible is key to becoming a success in journalism. It’s also a very competitive industry. I appreciate that my family has my back and I can only offer the same for my kids.
I’ll definitely keep and open mind and be here to support their endeavors. Having a higher education doesn’t necessarily determine your level of success. It’s your level of commitment and how you work toward achieving you goals that matter most.
What would you do if you kid decides to skip college?