Melissa Brausch

Folsom High School

Tell us about yourself.
I’ve lived in Folsom my entire life and I have three siblings—Stephanie (23), Jacob (21) and Jonathan (19)—and two dogs named Bailey and Sadie. I love all five of them.

What accomplishment are you most proud of and why?
I’m most proud of my accomplishments through singing. I’ve been a part of four musicals in my high school career, two of those being lead roles. I’m also part of a nationally acclaimed jazz choir and have competed with them for three years now, winning countless awards.

What are your school interests, involvements and hobbies?
I’m involved in many things—my biggest hobby being singing. I’m a member of the Drama Department, vice president of the Drama Club, and a member of the Legendary Guild of Cinema (a club that focuses on all fields of cinematography). In the spring of my freshman year, I was a member of the swim team, and I’ve spent the past two summers working as a lifeguard at the Folsom Aquatic Center. On Tuesdays you can usually find me singing in my church’s youth group band, which I’ve done since my freshman year. I thoroughly enjoy musical theater and have partaken in many dance, acting and vocal classes, and will continue to do so throughout my life.

What’s one thing that not many people know about you?
I love playing video games in my spare time (it’s my guilty pleasure). Also, I have a pet chinchilla named Liza Minnelli.

What are your plans after graduation?
Immediately after graduation, I will live in Tahoe with my aunt and uncle rehearsing and performing in my first out-of-school musical as a lead character. After, I will attend California State University, Sacramento, where I will study business and musical theatre with the hopes of transferring to New York University to pursue a double major in business and theatre. From there, I plan to obtain a career in the theatre business, hopefully on Broadway.

Who is your role model?
One of the people in the field I hope to join—whom I greatly admire—is current Broadway starlet Mara Davi. She is from Folsom, attended Folsom High School and is now performing on Broadway, even landing parts in one well-known film (New Year’s Eve) and TV show (Smash).

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?
I would love to go to Europe and see a show performed on the West End (England’s Broadway). After that, I would travel around Europe to see the beauties of life I’ve only ever read about in books and magazines.