Kemba Bloodworth '00

Actress, Freelance Casting Associate, Production Coordinator

Talk about thrilling ... I went to China, shot a sitcom and have a billboard going up. I was like a celebrity there.

Going to China and shooting a TV show was a life changing experience. Because it's China, the show was very PC, but it made me sure about what I really want to do — be an actor.

I've known it since I was a freshman in Jack Zerbe's "Fundamentals of Acting" class at Guilford. Of course, to pay the bills, I still need a day job. So some days I do freelance casting, like when I worked on an MTV show called "Room Raiders." Other days I'm a production assistant for
commercials and short films, like the one that opened the Tribeca Film Festival. And right now I'm working on "Things I Hate About You," a feel good reality show, which takes a funny, affectionate look at relationships.

Working in New York feels as natural to me as going to Guilford did, because here I interact with different types of people, just like there. And despite its size, I feel a strong sense of community in this city. That's why I volunteer with CAMDA, an arts program for underprivileged kids. And it's why I'm combining my interest in theatre and social change by writing a one-woman play.

They say if you can make it in NYC, you can make it anywhere. You just need confidence and persistence. I learned confidence in my leadership roles at Guilford — as class president and part of the Student Union. Professors like Pat Callair, Jack Zerbe and Karen Tinsley gave me lots of individual attention and only accepted the best. The same was required in theater with persistence emphasized. My freshman year at Guilford, I auditioned and didn't get cast in one show. But I kept at it and earned roles every year after.

And that led to where I am today — involved in off-Broadway plays, a Chinese TV show and some production or another. It's a fun life; it's like a roller coaster. And I definitely plan to enjoy the ride.

While there is no service requirement at Guilford, students, faculty, and staff members put in more than 50,000 volunteer hours each year. You will find, like Kemba did with CAMDA, that you can volunteer through many in-school programs including working with immigrant children from Vietnam or tutoring prisoners or unwed mothers in literacy.