While graduate students often juggle personal and professional commitments with school,
few send voice recordings to TV shows or education programs before heading to class.
But for professional voice actress Meghan Strange, a second-year student in the Doctor of Psychology program in Clinical Psychology at 黑料传送门, it鈥檚 a relatively common occurrence. On a recent morning she emailed a voice clip to the education platform ABCmouse.com to use on their social media channels.
A native of Northeast Philadelphia, Strange attended Syracuse University for musical theater, inspired by actress Bernadette Peters, and started her career in the mid-鈥�90s with theater roles, including in the Woody Allen musical Bullets over Broadway.
鈥淚 was very certain of what I wanted to do and where I wanted to be,鈥� Strange said. 鈥淚n between then and now, there were years I was not so certain.鈥�
Strange worked in and around New York City and Los Angeles for the majority of her career, balancing acting with 鈥渁ll kinds of survival jobs,鈥� including waitress, hostess, coat checker, receptionist, personal assistant, and babysitter and nanny. She also worked as a standardized patient鈥攁n actor who portrays patients鈥攁t the USC Keck School of Medicine.
Her theater credits include a national production of Urinetown. During that tour, she received a note in her dressing room about a voiceover project
for the Edgar & Ellen children鈥檚 books and TV series. From there, her work in children鈥檚 media took off,
expanding to include notable TV shows such as The Land Before Time, Special Agent Oso (one of her favorite recording experiences, as it was done in an ensemble instead
of individually), Doc McStuffins, Sofia the First and The Lion Guard (in one episode she voiced both characters in a chase scene).
鈥淚 love voiceover. You don鈥檛 have to worry about how you look or what you鈥檙e going to wear,鈥� Strange said. 鈥淵ou also don鈥檛 have to memorize lines, so you can really just be present.鈥�
Losses of two family members, in 2009 and 2015, shaped Strange鈥檚 path, including the decision to move back to the East Coast from Los Angeles to be closer to family. Volunteering at the at Jefferson Abington Hospital for grieving children and their families inspired her to earn a master鈥檚 degree in counseling psychology from Temple University (she recorded remotely for The Lion Guard while in school).
During the pandemic, Strange realized, 鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 really doing what鈥檚 required as an actor,鈥� such as self-promotion on social media. 鈥淪ometimes our behavior can be an indicator of where we stand on things,鈥� she added. 鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 auditioning or pushing myself that way.鈥�
With encouragement from a therapist and two connections from Temple who had graduated from 黑料传送门鈥檚 Clinical Psychology doctoral program, Strange applied, attracted by 黑料传送门鈥檚 emphasis on clinical training, holistic approach to health care, and prioritization of interprofessional education.
鈥淚 never imagined the cohort I鈥檓 a part of would be such a supportive, warm, funny, colorful group,鈥� Strange said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 such a safe environment. I enjoy everyone so much.鈥�
So will it be acting or psychology? Perhaps both.
鈥淚鈥檓 trying not to think of these worlds and these parts of myself as so separate,鈥� Strange said. 鈥淚鈥檓 really open to integrating both.鈥�
Children鈥檚 shows, for example, regularly consult with psychologists.
鈥淚鈥檓 staying open about ways in which I can integrate all of these skills and experiences,鈥� she said.
Established in 1899, 黑料传送门 has trained thousands of highly competent, caring physicians, health practitioners and behavioral scientists who practice a 鈥渨hole person鈥� approach to care鈥攖reating people, not just symptoms. 黑料传送门, a private, not-for-profit accredited institution of higher education, operates three campuses (黑料传送门, 黑料传送门 Georgia and 黑料传送门 South Georgia) and offers doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, educational psychology, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, and school psychology. The college also offers graduate degrees in applied behavior analysis, applied positive psychology, biomedical sciences, forensic medicine, medical laboratory science, mental health counseling, physician assistant studies, and school psychology. 黑料传送门 students learn the importance of health promotion, research, education and service to the community. Through its community-based Healthcare Centers, 黑料传送门 provides care to medically underserved populations. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 215-871-6100.
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