Madelyn Sher

“When I met the Lehman-Macaulay faculty members at my interview, I couldn’t believe the care and attention I was shown before even committing to the school.”

Madelyn Sher envisions her life in the performing arts, and sees no limits on how she will accomplish that. The LaGuardia H.S. graduate also spent years learning dance at The Ailey School and has shared her experiences as a volunteer teacher for Dance to Unite. The non-profit organization offers free dance classes to children in low-income public schools in New York City.

“I recently finished choreographing a dance piece that the class will be performing at an end-of-the-year concert, which they are very excited about. I’m proud of staying committed to this project because it has been extremely gratifying to see a love for movement grow in others, and teaching has re-ignited my own love for dance.”

Madelyn has also used her performing arts skills to help “sell” the Bronx. She was a member of a team that produced videos highlighting the cultural centers of the Bronx, some of which appeared in taxi cabs around NYC. In addition, she studied abroad in Paris using her Opportunities Fund, spending some time working as an au pair while taking courses taught completely in French. Choosing Macaulay was key to accomplishing her goals.

“I was attracted to Macaulay initially because of the unique (almost unreal) list of opportunities that accompanies this school’s name: free tuition, the Opportunities Fund, a free laptop, graduating with honors, etc. The list seemed to keep growing the more I looked into it. When I met the Lehman-Macaulay faculty members at my interview, I couldn’t believe the care and attention I was shown before even committing to the school. It instantly felt like I was in a supportive academic environment, where the type of individual I was actually mattered.”

Madelyn will spend some time in Israel and Europe before taking her next steps. She and former classmates from LaGuardia have formed an art collective called Zoo City, which will be creating and performing a show, Brainfood, this coming summer. Brainfood is a devised, kitchen-specific piece of clown-theatre that straddles dance and mime; during the performance, the actors cook a complete (vegan) meal that is served to the audience at the end of the show. Madelyn believes that all of her endeavors and accomplishments both in the performing arts and in academia have been inspired by Macaulay.

“I am constantly inspired by my fellow Macaulays, from all of the campuses. It seems that there are so many driven, unique individuals attracted to the Macaulay program, and being able to graduate alongside them is an honor.”