I met Monica at Radio City Music Hall when I was fortunate enough to nab a job doing hair for
the Christmas Spectacular in 2016. (It was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life!)
Monica works in guest relations year-round, and during the Christmas Spectacular, runs one of
the stage elevators that take performers and crew from the dressing area to the stage and
back. It’s not your regular elevator operator job, there are queues for when to be on what floor
at what time, who you’re supposed to pick up, what floor to drop them off, etc—it's exhausting
to think about it. But Monica does it with grace, patience, and an unflappable attitude.
We are friends on Instagram and Facebook and have stayed in touch over the years. When I
first opened Astoria Headshots, back in 2020, I remembered her attitude and charisma. So, on
her birthday I asked her if she would let me take her headshots as a present. Due to different
events happening at the time, the COVID pandemic being one of them, and other things since
then, the timing wasn’t right. We stayed in touch and, this past August, I reached out and she
was ready. So, I was grateful to take the opportunity to meet with and shoot her. The
experience was worth the wait.
I like to get to know people while I shoot them because, in my opinion, it helps to get
spontaneous expressions if I can get them to recall a moment or time in their life when I bring it
up. I am happy that I took the opportunity to get to know Monica.
She grew up in Brooklyn and in high school majored in dance, then continued to study dance
at Brooklyn College. After finishing her bachelor’s degree, Monica’s talent and drive afforded
her the opportunity to work with a variety of dance groups and companies: on stage, in music
videos, and in other types of projects.
Being in a place where she could follow another passion -helping others- Monica worked as a
literacy volunteer, which led to a teaching position in the BEGIN program, a welfare-to-work
initiative that focused on employment, education, and skills training. She helped to teach
women to become self-sufficient, helped them finish their GED, prepared them for job
interviews, and gave them the chance to see themselves in a better light so they could become
successful.
Through her education and daily affirmations, she not only taught her students how to get more
from life but learned a lot herself. The job helped prepare her for the future and allowed her to
give back to the community! She is proud and grateful for the success stories of her students
and that she could be a part of them.
When the contract with the BEGIN initiative ended, she decided to get back into the
entertainment industry and began by doing auditions and acting in off-Broadway shows. In
2001, she landed a job on the CBS reality show, “Big Brother” and made it all the way to final
three. She said people still recognize her today from the show and it was an important life
experience.
“Big Brother” opened the door for many opportunities. She has continued to hone her craft by
taking acting classes and has stayed close to the industry by working as an usher on
Broadway, and as mentioned before, at Radio City Music Hall.
It was kismet that we reconnected in August and that she allowed me to do her headshots
because Monica felt it was time to restart her acting journey, which is why she was ready for
new headshots.She’s excited to be moving forward with her next adventure and knows that, in life, when one
door closes, another will always open when the time is right.
Working with Monica was a true joy and pleasure. We talked a lot during our shoot, and we
both had the opportunity to share a many life experiences. She was easy to coach having
some previous rapport. In her shots, it’s easy to see her kindness, understanding, excitement,
confidence, and life success.
Thank you Monica for allowing me to be a small part of your journey and I look forward to
seeing where you will go next!
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