NSU Horizons Spring 2010

Student Spotlight 33 HORIZONS Stars Are Born at NSU BY RALPH DE LA CRUZ As with most successful TV commercials, the rst thing that grabs you with this one is the catchy jingle—up-tempo, suggesting it’s offering something cutting edge. “Do what you want to do,” a voice sings out. “Be what you want to be.” It’s accompanied by quick shots of energetic people and sleek buildings, evoking innovation and optimism. In a world where lizards and cavemen hawk insurance, it could be easy to brush off this ad as just another slickly produced promotion lled with profes- sional actors shilling for some mega corporation. But, then you see Brandon Chase’s face ll the screen and say, “I want to ght for justice.” You hear Jessica Villanueva proclaim she wants to be “the teacher they remember.” And you realize this isn’t a contrived pitch. These are the voices and faces of real students, classmates, and friends. Suddenly, the pan- oramic shots of this dynamic university campus look familiar, because it’s Nova Southeastern University. “Even before the commercial, I felt a real connection to this university,” said Chris Waggoner, 19, one of the NSU students featured in the promos. “Although it looks like a fairly big campus, classes are pretty small, and it seems like everyone knows one another.” Waggoner says as much in the commercial: “I want my professors to actually know my name.” He is one of the few student-actors who doesn’t speci cally talk about his major. That’s because he’s actually living it, or working at it, in the ad. Waggoner is a theatre major. “It’s probably the coolest thing I’ve done in a long time,” he said. It’s cool even to those who are used to being in the glare of the bright lights. LaShawnna Edwards is one of the stars on the NSU women’s basketball team. A charismatic guard and senior leader, she appeared in the commercial last year. “This year, they knew me, and I was more comfortable on the set,” said Edwards, 21. NSU gave the student-actors some suggested lines (such as Chase’s “I want to ght for justice.”) but also urged them to improvise some of their own lines. “I hadn’t had lunch that day, so I gave them, ‘I am hungry,’ ” said Edwards, laughing. “I gured they could use the comic relief.” In the version that made it on air, she tells viewers, “I want to hear the crowd go wild” over video of her sinking a jump shot in the Shark Tank arena. The television spot’s impact is not a joke for this Miami resident, who is nearing completion of a crimi- nal justice degree. “When I see the commercial on TV, it reminds me of how far I’ve come,” she said. “It makes me proud.” Graduate student Regina Sau had never acted nor been in the athletic spotlight while growing up in Oakland, California. But, when she received an email from the College of Pharmacy about the auditions, she decided to give it a try. “It was de nitely harder than I thought,” said Sau, 25. “They actually had me rehearse lines.” Harder, and probably more exasperating, than she could have imagined—particularly after her lines ended up on the cutting-room oor. But, she did land a nonspeaking role in the nal commercial, showcas- ing NSU’s graduate programs. “A lot of people ask me, ‘Didn’t I see you on TV?’ ” she said. “I’ve [also] had a lot of that,” said Frederick Johansen, 29, who appeared in a spot showing off the H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship. “People who I haven’t heard from in years have been contacting me. Not many people knew I was back in school.” Johansen, a graduate student in entrepreneurship, sees the bene ts of the commercial differently than many of the student actors. “I’ve learned that branding is important,” Johansen said. “In these commercials, I’m not only developing my brand, but linking it to the NSU brand. That can only be a good thing.” After graduating from the University of Florida, Chase, 26, moved to Manhattan to pursue a career in acting, catching minor parts in commercials and a few small independent lms. But no big break- through came. Now a law student at NSU, he’s gained major face time, and the rst line, in the graduate school promo. “I still have a passion for acting,” he said. “I love performing. I love being in front of the camera. And, I love representing this school.” Q Pictured above: Frederick Johansen