Alyssa Milano Captivates Audience at Life 101

Christopher Balaban: Staff Writer

Issue date: 2/5/08 Section: Current Affairs

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NSU students and community members waited an hour in advance in a meandering line outside the Rose and Alfred Miniacci Performing Arts Center on Jan. 17 in eager anticipation for the Life 101 series featuring Alyssa Milano.
The packed auditorium audience was a mix of students, faculty, staff and their family members, and was full of energy as host Mark Cavanaugh, professor at NSU, introduced the well-known actress. The 35-year-old New Yorker, who was raised in a house of artistic inspiration and known famously for her acting career, astounded audience members with her successful diversity in humanitarian and entrepreneurial works.
Cavanaugh opened the evening with a brief biography of Milano and questions relating to her childhood. Alyssa was actually "discovered" at the age of seven, when she was cast for an 18-month Broadway tour of Annie, in which she played the role of one of the orphan children. From that point on, "the rest is history," said Milano with a laugh, as she went on to feature in multiple television shows including Melrose Place, Spin City, Charmed and what she called her "most famous five minutes on television," a small clip on Family Guy. Though much admired for her artistic work on the screen and on the stage, it was later into the evening when Milano's true character was unveiled by Cavanaugh.
Further questions also revealed Milano's entrepreneurial efforts, as those in attendance learned of the release of her new sports clothing line for women titled "Truth by Alyssa Milano," which will be in arena and stadium stores for the NFL, NHL, NBA, NCAA and MLB. Milano's love for baseball is what inspired her to take on this creative task.
From baseball, it was on to a softer side, where it was discovered how much of an animal lover Milano truly is. Milano owns three dogs, and eight horses. The most recent addition to Milano's family of pets is Gibson, a Chihuahua she mentioned she had bought on sale for $300. Milano also revealed that she is a vegetarian and strong supporter of PETA.
As the evening neared its end, Milano began speaking about her humanitarian works and efforts, something which captivated the audience and caused a number of questions from interested and inspired students. Milano lived in South Africa for three months where most of her humanitarian drive began. She described her time there as "the most pivotal moment of her life." From South Africa, Milano went on to Angola, where her experiences led her to fund many charitable foundations, one in which she's committed $250,000, in an effort to aid and cure the impoverished in third world countries from tropical parasitic diseases such as tapeworm.
Cavanaugh ended the interview with questions pertaining to Milano's political activism. She is part of the "Rock the Vote" campaign, which promotes, supports and educates youth voters. Milano also revealed that Barack Obama was getting her vote in the upcoming election, and that she has known Senator Obama for a few years, and spoke with him during her involvement with the John Kerry campaign.

The floor was then opened to the audience, who asked questions ranging in topic from theater to humanitarian work. The evening ended with Dr. Cavanaugh asking Milano to close with a poem by her favorite poet, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and several gifts were given to Milano in appreciation for her visit.
Food and beverages were provided by NSU during a recemption for all in attendance, as well as the opportunity to meet Milano one-on-one.
Students were captivated by the young, motivated and exemplary woman. Junior Divya Sadhwani said, "Alyssa is a motivational and inspirational woman of great character." Daniela Reyes, a sophomore, nodded in agreement. Abir Rahman, a biology sophomore, said "I was inspired to do more for impoverished children after the interview."

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