By Caleb Barrick

With the film industry rapidly growing in the state, opportunities for up-and-coming actors and actresses have never been greater. 

One OCCC alum, actress Edna Garcia, has racked up 24 acting credits over the past few years. 

“There are definitely a lot of opportunities emerging in Oklahoma, so go get it!” she said to OCCC students and potential students alike. 

Garcia is a Mexican-American actress, and an OCCC alumni. Born in El Paso, Texas, her parents immigrated from Juarez, to the United States and later moved to Oklahoma City.

Garcia  said without the preparation she received at OCCC her acting career would have been starkly different. 

“I began my acting career in 2009, Garcia said. “I was always curious about acting, so I decided to take an acting class at OCCC and fell in love with the craft. I changed my major from International Studies to Theatre Arts and got a talent agent. Since then, I’ve worked in multiple commercials, films, voice overs, industrial videos, photoshoots, and music videos.” 

Garcia began her career in acting right out of college and has worked closely with other OCCC alumni and other filmmakers connected with OCCC.

“I started out doing TV commercials in Spanish with Director Rogelio Almeida, who also graduated from OCCC in 2009,” she said. “At the time, he was looking for a lead actress for his short-film “Habitos Curiosos” (Odd Habits). Even though it was early in my career, Renata was one of my favorites roles to play. After that, I worked as a production intern on “Light from the Darkroom” with Director Lance McDaniel. That’s where I met a lot of people from the film industry and began to establish more connections.”  

Garcia said her experiences at OCCC gave her an advantage in pursuing her career as an actress.

“Besides offering a number of great classes, my OCCC experience brought me into contact with amazing professors and fellow students who guided and encouraged me to take the necessary steps to pursue my career goals,” she said. 

Garcia had some words of advice to offer to students who are interested in pursuing a career in acting.

“Be realistic. This career is definitely not easy. You will have a lot of obstacles in front of you, and most people don’t understand this business,” she said. “Don’t let anyone discourage you from reaching your goals. Prepare yourself. Take as many classes as you can. Get your hands dirty. Do crew work. Work hard and be dedicated. In this career, it’s really easy to lose motivation, so stay focused.”