While Maryland may not be the first place you think of for “Hollywood material,” there have been few Marylanders who have gotten out and shown their talent to the world.

Watkins Mill alumnus Ariel Myren has proven that anyone can make it when they’re doing something they’re passionate about, and an education from Montgomery County Public Schools can be the perfect starting place.

“I was in third grade at Stedwick [Elementary School] when we performed an abridged version of The Tempest,” Myren said.  “And I had so much fun, I asked my parents to send me to a theatre camp. I’ve been acting ever since.”

Myren recently moved to Los Angeles and is continuing to work on her acting career. “I used to have crippling anxiety and freak out before auditions,” Myren said. “I would be so nervous that I’d shake and my throat would close up and I wouldn’t be able to sing.”

Despite her initial anxiety, Myren has learned that auditioning isn’t as bad as she thought it was. “When I realized that I could do a perfect job and still not get the part, I started to be easier on myself, and now I’m totally relaxed when I audition,” she added.

Myren has credited Watkins Mill as an important part of her development as an actress. “[Social studies teacher William] Funk’s TOK class definitely prepared me for the kind of thinking you do in the real world. Learning to see things from different perspectives is very important as an actor,” Myren said.

During her high school career, Myren was able to act in multiple plays. These plays include: A Christmas Carol, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Anything Goes, Crimes of the Heart, Annie, New Beginnings, and Urinetown.

She’s come a long way since her high school play days. Myren has been in various plays, reenactment shows, commercials, and even a few independent films that are being played at festivals right now.

A few of the shows people are able to see her in include, Nightmare Next Door, Evil Kin, and she’s even the lead in a new show on Hulu, called Pigeon.

Myren’s younger sister, Hayley Myren, is very proud of her, and continues to support her from the east coast. “It’s really cool to see her on TV. I always take pictures of her onscreen and tweet them,” Hayley Myren said. “Although it’s fun to watch her, sometimes it’s weird. I’ve seen her in roles where she has gotten killed, kills someone, or has kissed someone. Those are the awkward scenes that I always tease her about later.”