Jasmanny Mata, originally from Honduras, moved to America to create a better future and pursue her passion for becoming an actress. Mata faced many obstacles as she adjusted to life in a new country. One of her biggest challenges was learning English, but after overcoming this challenge she is determined to build herself a future filled with opportunities in acting.
“Jasmanny is a special student, nonetheless. Jasmanny immigrated to the United States several years ago from Honduras. She quickly learned English through her ESL classes at Athens Drive,” said Ashlynn Hayes, theater teacher at Athens Drive.
Mata is a student in Hayes’ Intermediate Theater class, where she has made a really good impression on her teacher and her peers. She is an exceptional actress and a hardworking student. Mata also has a positive attitude which helps her push through challenges and try her best in everything.
“[A big challenge was] getting used to people because when you come to the United States there’s a lot of people that will bully you. It was like getting comfortable with someone. And if you have a friend who knows your language please tell them that you can talk to me in English so you can talk more,” said Mata.
She was able to learn English quickly thanks to her support system and teachers, such as her ESL teachers, her theater teacher Hayes, and her mother and grandmother. Each of them helped her overcome the language barrier and adjust to her new life in America. The combined patience, encouragement, and support of important people in her life not only helped her learn English quickly, but also gave her the confidence to pursue her dreams.
“There were no opportunities there, like the politics is so bad and it’s corrupted and I want opportunities. When my mom came to the United States, I told her about my dreams of being an actress and she was like if you want to be an actress in Honduras you can’t have it you will have to come here,” said Mata.
Moving to America was both exciting and overwhelming for Mata. At first, she was nervous about adjusting to a new place. But her mother has always been by her side, providing her support and reassurance through every step of the journey. She has helped with new decisions and encouraged her to stay focused on her dreams.
“[I struggled with adapting to] the culture, and when I was in Honduras I used to live like ten minutes away from the beach, but when I came here the beaches were so far away. And I was like aww man and I have to adapt to that,” said Mata.
Mata has always had a deep love for acting and a dream of achieving fame. In addition to her passion for acting, Mata has a strong interest in fashion, which allows her to express her creativity in unique ways. She loves to experiment with different acting styles and express her inner self.
“[I would want to try] maybe being a villain and being malicious. Not that I am malicious but it’s because I feel like when you’re understanding someone dangerous you express more about humanity. Because the villain is bad but you also understand why they did that,” said Mata.
Ever since she was a kid she knew her goals and ambitions. She made a promise to herself not to forget her dreams and aim to achieve them, which keeps her motivated.
“When I was ten years old I saw this theater show in my country and it was awesome. I liked it and when I talked to the actress I was like OMG you did so good, like how do you speak a lot with your face like that’s impressive. I wanna be like that and I told my grandma and she used to be an actress too and she was like that is a hard way to go but if you like it you should go. As I grew older I liked it more and I wanted to be famous,” said Mata.
