Alumna credits Hollywood success to time at Central State University

Pictured: HeavenNezCree, promotional photo for Zahara 2042 Los Angeles, CA  - 2023

HeavenNezCree received her distinctive name ceremonially from her grandfather. Choosing to be identified solely by this unique moniker, HeavenNezCree says it means “to ascend.” It would prove to be a name very appropriate for the Centralian fascinated by and working in all forms of performance, onscreen and off, since graduating from Central State University in 1994.

The Dayton native originally studied Theater before changing in her sophomore year to the now defunct Mass Communications: Radio, TV, Broadcast major.

“What drew me to my studies was my love of storytelling, especially television,” HeavenNezCree said.

As the Theater Department at the time HeavenNezCree attended Central State was “kind of phasing out,” as she put it, she knew she would need to switch over to a similar major. Hence her transition into her Mass Communication major.

Adjunct professor John Fleming currently runs the latest iteration of Central State’s Title III Theatre Program, which offers Marauders the chance to learn the history and craft of all manner of theater production, and regularly establishes opportunities for onstage performance participation in such activities as the yearly spring musical.

“The Mass Communication major was the closest I could get to learning about television at Central State,” HeavenNezCree added. “People were always telling me I should be on the radio, but TV was what I always really wanted to do. As a child, I always looked at television like a magic box where people could tell these stories that would go all out into the world. I wanted to be a part of that kind of storytelling.”

HeavenNezCree’s first taste of public exposure came when she was still in her early teens. While attending Meadowdale High School, a teacher of hers started a rap group that HeavenNezCree was asked to join, and with her musical cohorts, she appeared both on local radio and, later during the summer before coming to Central State, in a regionally released music video.

“Having a teacher in high school that did that for me really made the possibility that I could perform in such a way much more realistic,” HeavenNezCree said.

“But as far as working in any kind of television, Central State was really my first foray into it.”

Another high school teacher of HeavenNezCree’s was a graduate of Central State who showed his students videos of activities that had taken place on the Central State campus. One of the videos showcased Central State’s dance team, the Dancing Belles.

“I just fell in love with it!” HeavenNezCree recalled. “I remember thinking, ‘That’s what I want to do! I want to be a Belle, I want to be on that dance team, and I want to go to that school!’ That’s really what drew me to Central State: being on the dance team.”

Although HeavenNezCree was eager to join the Belles when she first arrived on campus her freshman year, she chose to hold back due to being intimidated by the high level of talent she saw in those who were auditioning and participating in the troupe already.

By her sophomore year, HeavenNezCree felt confident enough to go out for the Belles and, after her audition, was invited to join.

"I had a cousin who was also going to Central State and was in the school band who really pushed me, saying I could do it,” HeavenNezCree said. “I also had a chance to talk to some of the Belles who were already in the group, and they really helped me to gain the courage to try out. I jumped in and it turned out wonderful.”

In addition to being a Belle for the duration of her time at Central State, HeavenNezCree also became Miss Central State in her senior year.

“There’s actually a picture of me in the yearbook that year where you could see me taking part in the Homecoming Queen Coronation as Miss Central State and meanwhile, I’m also in my Belle dance uniform because I wanted to both take part in all of the Homecoming activities as Miss CSU but also dance at the game, too,” HeavenNezCree said. “The Belles did play a huge part in my experience at Central State. Absolutely.”

The experience of being in the Belles leant life lessons to HeaveNezCree that she says greatly impacted the person, performer, and storyteller living as an actress, filmmaker, podcaster, and writer in Los Angeles today.

“Our Belles coach really held us to very high standards,” HeavenNezCree said. “And she always made sure that whatever we wanted to express about ourselves, we needed to do so in very concise and direct ways. That lesson really stuck with me and greatly informed who I am and how I work now. It was always about always putting our best foot forward, and I bring that with me wherever I go.”

As far as becoming Miss Central State in her senior year, HeavenNezCree gleaned lessons about herself regarding her “own personal fortitude, will, and power of not ever giving in,” as she put it, once again crediting her Central State experience, in this case, with granting her the kind of confidence she would need to succeed in media and entertainment after graduation.

“The Communications building was fairly new at Central State at the time,” HeavenNezCree said. “So, all of this new equipment was there, like mixing boards and all of these things. There were spaces for us to record and use the film equipment and all of that. And a professor I worked with was tough! He was tough! I loved it! I took that class, and I was so nervous. But I did it. I passed it. And it was such a huge eye-opener for me as far as what I am capable of. The fact the school even had the equipment and gave me these opportunities really goes to the point of what Central State stands for.”

In addition to her work in broadcasting, film and television classes, HeavenNezCree was also able at the time to use school equipment for her own independent video projects with fellow students. One of the other Marauders with whom she worked and chose not to name in fact went on to also take off in Hollywood.

“Being able to use equipment that we otherwise wouldn’t have been able to get our hands on and the continued support I received through my time at Central State made all of the difference,” HeavenNezCree said. “It all goes back to my first time touring Central State as a teenager deciding where she’d go to college. The campus was so beautiful, the tour guide was so welcoming, and it just felt like home. It felt like a conservatory. When I got there and started class, I knew right away I had made the right decision. That has stayed with me and that has never left me. The lesson that if you have the will and desire, you can rise — that has always stayed with me.”