Brooke Jasinski with SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor Paul Mockovak.
Brooke Jasinski, ’26, was named Honors Student of the Month for February.
SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor Paul Mockovak from the Department of Theatre and Dance, nominated the B.F.A. Acting and B.S. Dance double major in recognition of her being “a first-rate student in Acting class” and an "exemplary Learning Assistant in the THEA 133 Honors section.”
Originally from Dunkirk, NY, Ms. Jasinski attended Cassadaga (NY) Valley High School.
Professor Mockovak noted, "Brooke is active in the theatre community at large. She served as a Producer for Playground Summer Theatre for Main Street Studios — worthy nod. As Learning Assistant in the Honors THEA 133 she is there and ready with assistance, help, out-of-office time to meet and work. She stepped up with one of the actors and did exemplary scene work with them (an odd number in the class so we either have a trio or the LA steps in). Her peer observations are spot on and encouraging. I asked for a few introductory videos and got four of them, all of substantial length and information. I can only imagine that Brooke is this way in all her classes and interactions and is worthy of the nod.”
Jasinski noted, "My favorite thing about Honors program is getting the opportunity to take higher-level classes and work with students from outside my majors. I tend to use my Honors classes as a chance to branch out and try new subjects that I might not normally have been included in my course work. It encourages higher-level thinking, and keeps me learning and collaborating with new people I may not have met before. Honors students tend to be very supportive and involved, so the class atmospheres are usually very positive.”
Of course, she added her “favorite Honors class is ... Honors Introduction to Acting with Distinguished [Teaching] Professor Paul Mockovak. I loved being a learning assistant, and made so many new friends in the process!"
Her advice to fellow students is to “try out new classes that seem interesting to you, even if they seem to be a little outside of your comfort zone. You can end up finding new facets of yourself through them!”
Jasinski’s longtime goal is to “travel the world and audition for productions of all different kinds.” In the more immediate future she plans to "audition for graduate schools in order to obtain my M.F.A. in Acting to further my training and skills, and open up pathways for myself potentially teaching at a college level” while also auditioning “for as many shows as I can to keep expanding my skills and techniques as a performer.”
She thanks “Mr. Paul for believing in me, and being such a strong mentor. I am forever grateful for all the support and encouragement you have given me during my time at Fredonia.”
As recipient of the Honors Student of the Month Award, Jasinski will receive a $20 campus gift card as well as have a meal with her nominator and members of the Honors Student of the Month Awards Committee, and have her name engraved on a plaque in the Office of Residence Life.
The Honors Student of the Month Awards is a joint venture of the Office of Residence Life, which sponsors the program, and the Fredonia Honors Program.
