For the fourth week in a row, the Graduate and Part-Time Student Council and Student Organization hosted a live virtual tour with Kean University on Wednesday, Feb. 24. This time, attendees got to watch a Q&A with comedian and actress, Melissa Villaseñor from Saturday Night Live (SNL). Attendees were asked to preregister through Loopedlive.com and once registration was confirmed, the event could be watched through a web browser or the Looped app.
Villaseñor has made milestones during her career after becoming the first Latina cast member on Saturday Night Live. She made her name known after making it to the semi-finals of America's Got Talent. Since then, Villaseñor has starred in numerous projects lending her voice for characters in Toy Story 4, Wreck-It Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks The Internet, Adventure Time, Family Guy and appearing in shows such as Awkafina is Nora from Queens, Barry, and Crashing. She usually tours around the country doing stand-up comedy headlining clubs and is set to release her second music EP sometime this year.
The event on Looped was an experience as Villaseñor talked about how she got her start on Saturday Night Live and in acting. She is known for doing impressions of famous celebrities such as country music artist Dolly Parton which is one of her most famous impressions and actor Owen Wilson. Villaseñor also talked about what she believes made her stand out amongst other comedians when she auditioned.
"When one of the producers saw me do a stand-up comedy show in Los Angeles, I did a mix of impressions and other skits but it was mostly the impressions. What I was doing helped mold who I am with my story. I was doing what made me happy," said Villaseñor. "When I first auditioned for SNL, I got to a place where I felt comfortable with myself and wasn't desperately trying to be on the show. I went on stage and performed what I was proud of and what brought me joy. That right there was the ticket."
Villaseñor not only brought joy throughout the night but her positive messages hopefully brought inspiration to those who were watching. With a message that no matter what the circumstances are, people should do what they are passionate about and what they want will be accomplished.
Questions came from colleges across the nation and were moderated by two energetic mediators who made the event very engaging. Kean University was also featured for one of the questions that was asked to Villaseñor saying "what is one of her dream roles that she would like to do one day?"
"I wanna play a character like the Joker. Something like that. A comic book character would be so cool. I would also love to sing the Star-Spangled Banner one day at a major event. I'm really grateful I've gotten to do a lot of fun stuff and there are some things I have done recently that I hope gets to be picked up in the near future," said Villaseñor.
Villaseñor did give some very helpful advice to her viewers if they are interested in going into the standup business or just any career in general.
"Finding your group of pals. That is really important. It becomes like a family of comedians where you feel safe. It is very important to make your friends, be professional, kind and work hard. With standup it's interesting. I did shows almost every night and took acting classes consistently. Just creating your own stuff and learning along the way while not giving up helps with your growth as well as who you are," said Villaseñor.
For more upcoming events from the Graduate and Part-Time Student Council as well as Student Organization, please visit Cougar Link. For more information regarding Melissa Villaseñor and all her content visit melissavillasenor.com
