Marianne Virnelson became a disciple of the liberal arts at MMI Prep. She participated in Mock Trial, Speech and Debate, and summer work-study programs, packing her days with a range of activities before landing on her two greatest passions: performing in musical theater and being a tour guide.

The former informed Marianne’s MMI and post-MMI education. In middle school, she restored her school’s then-dissipated drama club with the help of her peers and several upperclassmen. She took to the stage as part of MMI’s Prepper Playhouse, as well as at the DeMelfi School of Music, the Pennsylvania Theater of Performing Arts, and the Nuremberg Community Players Theater. She was named “Artist of the Week” by the WVIA and nominated as the first person to ever represent MMI in the District Chorus. All of this inspired Marianne to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre & Music from Randolph College in Lynchburg, Virginia, where she graduated magna cum laude in 2017.

After volunteering as a tour guide at Randolph College, she was hired as an Admissions Counselor, which allowed her to share her profound appreciation for education with others. Marianne accomplished a great deal in this role, from reviewing college applications on an ongoing basis to crafting and hosting admission receptions. With time, she was promoted to Randolph College’s Senior Admission Counselor while also serving as the institution’s Fine Arts Recruitment Coordinator. This gave her the chance to fuel her love for the theater by adjudicating high school theater and musical theater auditions, creating (and running) fine arts programs, and collaborating with fine arts faculty members. Marianne then went on to work as a Senior Admission Counselor at Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia before landing her current position as the Coordinator of Visit Services for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at the University of Maryland, College Park.

It’s here that Marianne—an a capella singer, ukulele player, and former Member Experience Associate for the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland—does one of the other things she’s learned to cherish most: work directly with her office’s student ambassadors and tour guides. In doing so, Marianne hopes to provide them “the same level of mentorship” she received at MMI. And yet, she also continues to steadily perform throughout the Washington DC metro area during her off time.

Considering that Marianne has sparked others’ interest in higher education and the theater (the latter as a teaching assistant intern with Wildcat Theatre Conservatory and an Acting Coach with the Children’s Theatre in the Park/Nuremberg Community Players), we’d say that her contributions are worthy of applause—if not a standing ovation.