Can you imagine yourself being in front of a camera and working with famous actors and actresses? One of our WPSD alums is doing that right now in Hollywood, CA! Her name is Amber (Stanton) Zion, a proud Class of 1997 graduate of WPSD, who aspires to become a successful, full-time actress in the Hollywood movie business.
Following graduation from WPSD, she went on to NTID and received an Associate’s Degree in Graphic Design in 2000, and a BFA Degree in Graphic Design in 2002 at RIT. Amber also received a degree in performing arts from RIT and is certified by NTID in performing arts.
She says her biggest accomplishments in life include completing her post-secondary education at RIT and moving to California to pursue an acting career. A few months after moving to California, she got an acting gig playing as a dead teen on the CSI-NY program called “Silent Night.” In that program, she worked with Marlee Matlin, Russell Harvard, Troy Kotsur, and Gary Sinise.
Amber is also very proud of working with Sean Berdy (currently an actor on “Switched at Birth”) on the movie “Ice Age: Continental Drift” as an ASL translator. For the first time in history of the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, a movie will be shown in ASL. Berdy and Zion play characters that appear in the picture-in-picture style and is only available on Blu-Ray 3-D.
Amber may be best known for her performance in a 30-second commercial for “Kay Jewelers.” In the commercial her hearing boyfriend is apologetic for not being a good signer, and surprises her with jewelry at Christmas. This drew a roaring applause from the WPSD community!
Amber’s goal over the next 5 to 10 years is to be a successful, full-time actress. When the acting job is slow, Amber keeps herself busy by doing side projects, both short films and music video. She also has a steady job in Graphic Design. For the past six years, Amber has been working as a Graphic Designer for Avanquest, a leading developer and publisher of cutting edge software technology.
Her best memories of WPSD include participating in the after-school sports program and thanked the teachers at WPSD for their awesome dedication in guiding and helping achieve her goals after graduation at WPSD. Her favorite memory is a trip to Alabama for Space Camp!
Her advice to current students of WPSD is a quote that inspired her when she was a young girl: “To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.” by Anatole France. Amber always tells people if they believe in pursuing their dream and it will come true. This quote helped Amber to where she is in her life today.
Our thanks to Amber Zion for taking the time out of her very busy life in California, and our congratulations for her many, many accomplishments. For all of the Amber Zion followers, please visit her website: www.amberzion.com.
This article is published on Western Pennsylvanian, Volume 126, Number 2, Winter 2013.