Meet 6 MMC Students Who Used Their Summer Breaks to Break Through
Open gallery
MMC students made the most of their summer vacations, using the time off to bring their talents to new audiences, rub elbows with high-powered execs, and explore cutting-edge laboratories. We spoke with six about their adventures, what they gained, and how those experiences set the stage for what’s next.
Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland
Major: Musical Theatre with a minor in Math
For Van Bergen, summer 2025 brought a pivotal moment for her burgeoning acting career: She scored her first professional contract, as one of six students chosen for the Weston Theater Company’s Young Company. A 10-week residency for non-equity college-aged actors, the Young Company surrounds up-and-coming performers with current and former Broadway talent and has seen its alums go on to conquer the Great White Way. The opportunity, Van Bergen said, couldn’t have come at a better time.
“I’d been auditioning for two years but hadn’t booked anything, so getting this was like an extreme game changer for my confidence—I feel like I’ve been shot out of a cannon into the professional world,” she said. “Getting to not only work for the first time, but to work in a highly reputable place, was a dream come true.”
The Weston, Vermont’s oldest professional theater and the 13th oldest in the nation, has a highly selective audition process for the Young Company, open only to candidates from its home state or a handful of BFA musical theater programs across the country. It has auditioned students at MMC for the past four years, after Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts Michael Mendez asked them to add the College to their roster. “I’m proud to share that each year, one to two of our students have been cast as Young Company members, earning pay, housing, Actors’ Equity points, and workshops, while gaining invaluable experience performing alongside professional actors,” he said.
Mendez has had a relationship with the Weston Theater Company for years, performing in three of its shows before joining the MMC faculty. This summer, he directed the Young Company’s production of Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus!: The Musical, based on the children’s book by Mo Willems. With Van Bergen as a cast member, Mendez also brought on Brionna Trilling ’22, an MMC alum and adjunct Daily Dance instructor, to choreograph.
After rehearsing for two weeks, Young Company members took the production on the road, touring across Southern and Western Vermont, with daily performances. They also worked with the Weston’s equity performers on other productions, including White Christmas, which gave Van Bergen a deeper understanding of equity rules and the opportunity to serve as an understudy.
Takeaway lesson: There’s power in lateral networking. As part of the Young Company, Van Bergen worked with award-winning pros like the composer and actor Andrew Lippa and composer-lyricist Adam Guettel. But she was also thrilled to form tight bonds with other students, bringing to life a helpful piece of advice she’d once received. “Someone told me that networking at this age is all about networking horizontally with peers because we’re all moving up together,” she said. She and fellow Young Company members already have plans to meet up this fall.
What’s next: This semester, Van Bergen is looking forward to loading up on dance classes, taking courses for her Math minor, and participating in a workshop at MMC in which they’ll develop new work by adjunct professor, writer, and music director Justin S. Fischer. “I’m excited and feel like I have a better understanding of what I need to work on and where I’m at after my experience with the Weston,” she said.
Hometown: Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
Majors: Dance and Neuroscience
Like many students, Sheker has turned to MMC’s career counselors for help finding internships, including a coveted spot at KidZone TV, an in-house broadcast studio at Mount Sinai’s Kravis Children’s Hospital that produces live shows for pediatric patients. She parlayed the role, which she began last year, into a part-time job, and working with young patients has even sparked her interest in becoming a pediatric neurosurgeon or neurologist.
This summer, however, Sheker tried a new tactic in internship hunting: she cold-emailed three neurosurgeons at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine to see if they would allow her to assist in their labs. “Since I plan to go to med school eventually, I wanted to spend the summer doing research or getting clinical experience,” she said. Thinking it a long shot, though, she didn’t expect to get a response. Then, one of the neurosurgeons emailed her back, offering Sheker the opportunity to serve as his sole student research intern for the summer and shadow him on clinical rounds.
“I was with my mom when I got the email, and I started to tear up,” Sheker said. Reaching out was nerve-racking, but I knew I had to take the leap.”
Sheker has had the Keck at the top of her list of medical schools ever since she toured the campus while on a trip to Los Angeles. “I got to see the students working hard and collaborating, and how patient-centered their clinical practice was, which is so important to me,” she said.
And, thanks to her two-month summer position, she got all the focused attention from Keck doctors she could want. “As the only student-intern, I was able to ask any questions I had,” she said. “I also got to see doctor-to-patient care firsthand and what happens behind the scenes, like reading charts and checking scans, which was really cool.”
Takeaway lesson: It pays to double major. Sheker fell in love with science in high school but credits much of her success in STEM—and her ability to ask for what she needs—to dance, which she’s studied since age three. “So many skills I learned in dance apply to life,” she said. “You need discipline. You need to listen actively. You need to advocate for yourself. And all of those things have helped me in STEM.”
What’s next: This fall, Sheker will continue her flex position at KidZone TV, teach Pilates classes—another passion—and finish her course requirements ahead of graduation in May. “I’m looking forward to this year,” she said. “And I think I’m going to be able to perform with the Dance department one last time, so I’m excited about that.”
Hometown: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Majors: Digital Journalism and Politics and Human Rights with a minor in Law
An avid LinkedIn user, Sureshkumar could give a master class on how to mine the site for career opportunities—though, she notes, not everyone is as obsessed with it as she is. She’s mainly found luck with a simple approach: keep scrolling. That’s how she discovered a call last spring inviting young people to apply for a speaking slot at the UN’s Economic and Social Council Youth Forum. Landing one of the openings, she addressed government representatives and policy makers on cybersecurity and the potential dangers of AI, topics she’d learned about in an International Law class with Professor Jennifer Mueller.
Scrolling also helped her spot opportunities with major news outlets that she secured this summer. In May, she participated in the Bloomberg Business Journalism Diversity Program, a week-long intensive on business journalism, where some two dozen students were mentored by Bloomberg editors, writers, and executives.
Though Sureshkumar is a Journalism major and the features editor for the MMC student newspaper, The Monitor, she knew little about business journalism. “It was a beat that I was curious about but didn’t know if I would be interested in,” she said.
Instead, she focused her reporting on climate change and immigrants. Last spring, she reported a story on how immigrant vendors in the city were struggling to obtain legal licenses, which she presented during Honors Day. But the Bloomberg program showed her the possibilities of telling equally compelling stories through business journalism.
“Since the program ended, I’ve been obsessed with reporting on earnings calls and finding ways to tell stories through numbers,” she said. “And though I haven’t yet reported anything major for The Monitor, I’d love to.”
In August, Sureshkumar also joined CNN Academy’s Voices from the South: Storytelling for Impact initiative. CNN uses the online program to offer media training to early-career journalists from the Global South, with participants completing courses on journalism fundamentals, storytelling tools, and more. They must have a story pitch accepted by the outlet to qualify for a second phase, which includes fully funded travel to Dubai for in-person workshops. Sureshkumar plans to craft a pitch.
What’s next: This month, Sureshkumar begins a for-credit internship with Schneps Media, which publishes dozens of local NYC newspapers such as AM Metro New York. Among other things, she’s hoping to report business stories on how tariffs are impacting local consumers and stores. She’s also serving as an Intercultural Center peer mentor for international and first-gen students.
Takeaway Lesson: Bloomberg News’s cofounder and former editor-in-chief, Matthew Winkler offered advice that Sureshkumar has taken to heart. “He told us that sometimes people think you’re doing great because you’re lucky. But what they don’t see is that the harder you work, the luckier you tend to get. That’s stuck in my head ever since.”
Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina
Major: BFA Theater Design and Technology with a concentration in Costume Design
As a Costume Design major, Deadmore has worked on several MMC mainstage productions under Vanessa Leuck, an assistant professor of Theatre Arts who helms the Costume Design program and is one of her favorite instructors. “Professor Leuck is always really hands-on with the mainstages, and anytime we’re in the costume shop, she’s normally there with us, helping out and giving advice,” Deadmore said.
But in recent months, Deadmore has gotten to work with Leuck in an entirely new way. Leuck, who has a track record for bringing students onto her professional projects outside MMC, invited Deadmore to join her on the wardrobe teams for two productions: as an intern for Hard Road to Heaven, a new musical that premiered at Bucks County Playhouse in Pennsylvania in the spring, and as a costume assistant and wardrobe supervisor for Miss Money HoneyBee: The Musical, which debuted at Long Island’s Molloy University this summer. The roles offered Deadmore a taste of the responsibilities and, importantly, the autonomy she’ll experience in the work world.
Miss Money HoneyBee, in particular, was a major milestone for Deadmore: not only was it among her biggest projects to date, but it brought her first titled role on a professional production. Moreover, because Leuck was also working on a show in Vermont at the time, she trusted Deadmore to handle tasks like prepping for fittings on her own. “There wasn’t that same level of supervision I was used to at Marymount, but in a good way, a way that helped me grow,” Deadmore said. “That was a new experience for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed having Vanessa trust me enough to give me more freedom.”
What’s next: Deadmore has two ultimate career goals. Inspired by the glitzy, high-concept work she’s seen Leuck do and over-the-top shows like Boop! The Musical, she’s hoping to create similar designs for Broadway. She also aims to work in the wardrobe department for Saturday Night Live, a goal solidified in her freshman year when she attended a live taping of the show. “I got chills walking into the studio because I was such a big SNL fan growing up,” she said. “I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m meant to be here.” This semester, she’ll take a step closer to her SNL goal, with a stint as an NBC general production intern. She’s been applying for the position since attending the SNL taping four years ago, a lengthy process she’s glad she stuck with.
Takeaway Lessons: Let your interests lead you. Deadmore, who acted in middle and high school, didn’t expect to become so passionate about costuming, which she’d only occasionally helped with. “I thought I’d end up in performance, but then, tides change, people change, and I decided, ‘Maybe I’ll try out this costume design thing,’” she said. At MMC, she discovered it wasn’t a side quest but her true passion. “I see how driven the Acting and Musical Theatre majors are, and while I never had that energy and drive for performance, I do have it for costumes. Costume Design is exactly where I want to be.”
Hometown: Port St. Lucie, Florida
Majors: Dance and Journalism
Vaughn has been modeling for couture designer Kallee Jackson since she was 14 and became the official face of Jackson’s clothing line Maison De Kallee Jackson in 2023. This summer, she continued their partnership, flying to Jackson’s Florida studio for a photo shoot showcasing the designer’s newest looks. Jackson, who has outfitted celebrities like the actress Yaya DaCosta, and created DaCosta’s 2025 Met Gala dress, is on the rise. “I’ve basically been on call for Kallee, so whenever she needs me, I’ll come over to her fashion house,” Vaughn said. “She’ll literally be finishing up a design and throw it on me.” The two are also preparing for Jackson’s next runway show, Kallee Jackson: the Woman is Art, in March. The event is sure to show how much Vaughn has grown creatively right alongside Jackson.
“When I started with her, I was very unsure of myself,” Vaughn said. “And I still kind of am, but I know I have something to offer. Having grown as an artist over the years has helped as well because I bring that artistry to modeling.” Using her performance skills from dance, Vaughn has learned to create and embody characters during her photoshoots and fashion shows. She’s even become a mini-director, helping other models on shoots tap into that same energy.
Outside her work with Jackson, Vaughn spent the summer in NYC, marking a milestone: It was the first time she’d lived in the city without parents or the “bubble of the dorms,” she said, in an apartment she shared with a classmate. Navigating the city on her own terms, she spent the months exploring new artistic spaces and taking daily classes in hip hop, ballet, and theatrical contemporary—an area she’s particularly interested in because it allows her to apply acting skills to dance—or booking studio space to train on her own.
What’s next: Vaughn is looking forward to learning more about choreographic artistry in a Dance composition course with Associate Professor of Dance Elisabeth Motley. She’s also excited to dive deeper into her Journalism major with an Advanced Reporting class. Last spring, Vaughn interviewed Kim Weild, an award-winning director and disability and arts advocate, and she hopes to do more arts-based storytelling.
Takeaway Lesson: Vaughn, the daughter of a breast cancer survivor, tries to channel gratitude and, whenever possible, reach for the positive. “When I start thinking negatively—like, ‘Oh school’s going to be hard,’—I think of how blessed I am to have the opportunities I have and how many people are rooting for me,” she said. “Every time I go home to Florida, everybody tells me, ‘You’re doing this for us,’ and I am.”
Hometown: Bethel, Connecticut
Major: BFA Musical Theatre
When Finn saw an audition notice for the summer season at Mac-Haydn Theatre in Chatham, New York, sent to MMC’s Musical Theatre majors last spring, he jumped at the chance. He’d heard nothing but positive things about the theater from a friend, an MMC alum who’s worked there for the past three years. “In posting and talking about it, she’s always said what a great experience she’s had,” he said. After receiving an in-person callback and an offer to serve as a company member, he headed upstate, appearing in five of Mac-Haydn’s seven summer shows. He performed in the ensemble of A Bronx Tale; Guys and Dolls, where he also played a minor character, Scranton Slim; Annie; and Escape to Margaritaville; and Jesus Christ Superstar, taking on the role of high priest Annas.
Though he had once worked a month-long professional contract, this was his first full-season summer stock experience. “Summer stock is much more grueling than a lot of professional contracts because they do so many shows in such a short amount of time,” Finn said. “It’s been a journey, but I knew that if I could deal with the long hours and working with a lot of different directors and choreographers, I could do Broadway, where the schedule’s much easier.” Beyond that, he said, the experience also strengthened his confidence in tackling an array of theatre genres. “It was challenging but also really beneficial to be working on multiple types of shows at once, because I really had to hone my craft to be the best performer for each of them.”
What’s next: Finn’s looking forward to taking a Musical Theatre Song Portfolio class this year, which focuses on creating an audition portfolio and includes two mock auditions. “It’s really going to help set me up for success,” he said. He’s also excited about the mainstage production of Rent in November, in which he’ll play one of the show’s main characters, Roger Davis.
Takeaway Lesson: As a senior who’s been in four main stage productions, Finn encourages first-year students to pace themselves. “You feel like you have to be in everything and audition for everything, but you don’t,” he said. “You have your entire college experience and after to be able to put your craft to work. There’ll be so many opportunities that if you don’t get cast in something, it’s not the end of the world.” And, in the times you’re not performing, he added, focus on a hobby, giving back, or somehow bettering your life. “Instead of worrying about what opportunities in life you’re losing, find the opportunities you can take,” he said.
Published: September 14, 2025
Alums shine at 2026 Tony Awards
What do we love best about the Tonys? Spotting members of the MMC community on and off stage! The College was well represented at the 79th Annual Tony Awards ceremony on June 7—congratulations to all those who performed, presented, won awards, earned nominations, and worked behind the scenes on Broadway’s biggest night. Here are some of the familiar faces we saw.
