Jada Samira
completed Up the Down Staircase
Independent
- 18 - 25 yrs old
- 5' 3"
- 150 lbs
- Brown
- Short
- Brown
- Black/African
Non-Union
Connections (3)
Armed with talent, brains, confidence, and beauty, actress Jada Samira has a story to share. Life may have thrown a few curveballs at her, she’d rather forget, but she is also extremely grateful they were thrown at her. “The events of my past molded me into the person I am today. If I had it so easy early on in my childhood, I wouldn’t know how to appreciate the blessings God has given me.” Growing up in Baltimore, MD, Jada had a pretty decent childhood. Though it wasn’t the worst environment to live in, her parents wanted to get her into a better community, where they hoped she would have better opportunities to succeed. Unfortunately, this was the move that made things worse for her.
Jada and her family moved to Carroll County, MD where they were met with hostility. Even though there were quite a few people who didn’t mind having her family there, the majority of that area did all they could to make them feel unwelcome. Jada had been dancing for two years by this time. Living in an environment where she felt unwelcome only pushed her further to pursue a career in dance. She started dancing as a way to vent and express herself. She felt that she had many pressures of society on her and figured the only way to make the hurt go away was through dance. She made a name for herself at North Carroll High School as the best female dancer in the school. She would have dance battles in the cafeteria at lunch, and after school went to the school’s dance/step club practices. Believing that dance was the way to go for her, Jada hoped to take dance electives in high school; she was bummed when she found out the school didn’t offer any. She was a decent sketch artist and could have easily gotten an A in art but Jada decided to challenge herself and went with drama as her fine art elective. It turned out she was a natural actress, and immediately fell in love with the craft. Eventually, her parents decided, once again, to relocate; this time the move was out of state. In the summer of 2006, Jada and her family moved to Gwinnett, GA where she attended Dacula High School. She found a mentor in her theatre teacher, Philip Cate.
Jada took the role of JoAnn, a mechanic who wants to be seen as more than one of the guys, in Cate's play “The Secret to Women Is…” The play was performed at the One Act competition where it won third place. Jada put acting on hold for a while to pursue a degree in Political Science (pre-law) at Spelman College. While there, she dabbled a bit in modeling, working with VaNorris Moore, designer of the Lovetasi clothing line. When personal and financial matters prevented her from continuing her education there, Jada decided to get back into performing. She went on her first audition for The Sentinel Chronicles, a web series directed by J. Welin, and was cast for the role of Lt. Corbitt. She continues to push past her obstacles, and is extremely desirous of leaving her mark in the world of acting, but more so in the hearts and minds of the generations to come. “I didn’t have anyone to jumpstart my career. My parents didn’t have money to send me to dance schools. I didn’t have any money to go to workshops or take acting classes, so I made sure I soaked in all I could from school. I told myself that I wanted to show the next generation that you can come from nothing and make your dreams reality no matter what others said. I want them to say, ‘she wasn’t rich when she started and look how much she accomplished on her own. Look what she did without an agent and how it worked to get her where she is today’ That’s the kind of mark I want to make.”
Jada and her family moved to Carroll County, MD where they were met with hostility. Even though there were quite a few people who didn’t mind having her family there, the majority of that area did all they could to make them feel unwelcome. Jada had been dancing for two years by this time. Living in an environment where she felt unwelcome only pushed her further to pursue a career in dance. She started dancing as a way to vent and express herself. She felt that she had many pressures of society on her and figured the only way to make the hurt go away was through dance. She made a name for herself at North Carroll High School as the best female dancer in the school. She would have dance battles in the cafeteria at lunch, and after school went to the school’s dance/step club practices. Believing that dance was the way to go for her, Jada hoped to take dance electives in high school; she was bummed when she found out the school didn’t offer any. She was a decent sketch artist and could have easily gotten an A in art but Jada decided to challenge herself and went with drama as her fine art elective. It turned out she was a natural actress, and immediately fell in love with the craft. Eventually, her parents decided, once again, to relocate; this time the move was out of state. In the summer of 2006, Jada and her family moved to Gwinnett, GA where she attended Dacula High School. She found a mentor in her theatre teacher, Philip Cate.
Jada took the role of JoAnn, a mechanic who wants to be seen as more than one of the guys, in Cate's play “The Secret to Women Is…” The play was performed at the One Act competition where it won third place. Jada put acting on hold for a while to pursue a degree in Political Science (pre-law) at Spelman College. While there, she dabbled a bit in modeling, working with VaNorris Moore, designer of the Lovetasi clothing line. When personal and financial matters prevented her from continuing her education there, Jada decided to get back into performing. She went on her first audition for The Sentinel Chronicles, a web series directed by J. Welin, and was cast for the role of Lt. Corbitt. She continues to push past her obstacles, and is extremely desirous of leaving her mark in the world of acting, but more so in the hearts and minds of the generations to come. “I didn’t have anyone to jumpstart my career. My parents didn’t have money to send me to dance schools. I didn’t have any money to go to workshops or take acting classes, so I made sure I soaked in all I could from school. I told myself that I wanted to show the next generation that you can come from nothing and make your dreams reality no matter what others said. I want them to say, ‘she wasn’t rich when she started and look how much she accomplished on her own. Look what she did without an agent and how it worked to get her where she is today’ That’s the kind of mark I want to make.”