In addition to being an Oliver Alumna, Shirley Rumierk is an actor currently starring in NBC’s hit series Rise.

What is your relationship to Oliver Scholars?
I’m an Oliver Alumna and I’ve been a member of the Oliver Alumni Council since it began in 2016. I will also be hosting the Oliver Scholars Gala on May 8!

What are some leadership lessons you have learned over your career?
It’s important to recognize not just what your strengths are but also to identify your weaknesses. Align yourself with those who are experts in areas that you are not – seek their council and/or invite them to collaborate with you. That way, when you’re assembling a team to bring your project or vision into reality, its chances of being successful are all the higher because your initial self-assessment was both strategic and honest.

What do you feel most proud of as a leader?
It a series of things: Being open to finding inspiration from anything and everything (my elders, young people, historic figures, nature). Clearly identifying what is most important to me outside of my career has given my career goals true purpose. Most importantly, finally realizing that, as an Oliver Alumna, I was already a success. That simple mental shift helped me tremendously. It allows me to approach my career endeavors from a place of strength and pride, rather than from a place of weakness or desperation for success.

What experience has shaped you the most in your life?
Many varied experiences have shaped me. However, being an Oliver Scholar was an integral part of who I am today. The access to high quality education, resources and opportunities that I never knew were possible was transformative.

What three adjectives to describe your life right now?
Vibrant, Fun, Exciting

What teacher in school made the most impact on you and why?
It was an elementary school teacher who taught a two week after-school tutoring class. It was for kids who were having a hard time reading. I was in the third grade and felt like a failure because I was having such a hard time reading anything. This teacher (her name escapes me), after I managed to read a full sentence without stumbling, looked at me with such warmth and said, “See, you can do it. You just did it.”

If you had a chance for a “do-over” in life, what would you do differently?
I wouldn’t do anything over. All the things that can be perceived as “do-overs” were moments and lessons that brought me closer to what truly matters to me. It’s part of my journey to fulfilling my purpose.

Why/how did you choose your profession?
When I was a kid, as a hobby, I performed at a local children’s after-school theater program called The 52nd Street Project. It was also where I volunteered my time and fulfilled my Oliver community service requirement. Toward the end of college, it became clear that what was initially a hobby was truly my passion. I decided I didn’t want to have regrets later on in life. When I made the leap to pursue acting professionally, I was able to be strategic by using the tools that I learned as an Oliver Scholar: networking, preparation, identifying opportunities and how to pursue them, goal mapping, etc.

What advice would you give a Scholar who wishes to pursue a career in your field?
It’s not for the faint of heart because you have to withstand a lot of rejection. Be sincere and clear as to why you love performing; if the primary reason is because of the attention, that will not sustain you as an actor. That being said, you have to answer that which your heart yearns for. If you decide to pursue a career in the performing arts, it’s important to be persistent, strategic and honest with yourself, and to have varied interests in college (I was a Hispanic Studies major) and in life (it will enrich you as an actor). Finally, it’s okay if you walk down that road for a while, then decide that performing is not the right choice for you. I mean, I was originally an Economics major in college! Definitely not for me.