Senior Theatre Arts and English double major selected for performing arts competition

Jaylin Smith, a senior double majoring in Theatre Arts and English, is one of eight performing artists chosen to compete in the Howard County, Maryland, Arts Council’s Rising Star Performing Arts Competition.

The event “showcases performers aged 18-35 who live, work, train, or perform in Howard County,” according to Deputy Director of the Howard County Arts Council Mary K. Baxter. 

Smith has been performing since the age of 10. Before coming to McDaniel, she trained at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University and Baltimore School for the Arts. A 2022 graduate of Centennial High School in Ellicott City, Maryland, she was recognized as the “Outstanding Theatre Arts Student in Acting and Performance” and received both the Ben Vassiliev Memorial Scholarship and Celonia B. Walden Award for the Performing Arts to support her studies at McDaniel. 

While at McDaniel, Smith has appeared in several McDaniel College Theatre productions, including as Oscar Wilde in the "Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde,” Juliet in “Measure for Measure,” and Margot in “Legally Blonde.” She is portraying Anna in the upcoming production of "The Madman and the Nun" (Nov. 20-22), directed by Lecturer in Theatre Arts Richard Sautter.

"Jaylin is a smart, intuitive, gifted actor. She has a bright future ahead of her," according to Gené Fouché, assistant professor of Theatre Arts.

Currently a member of the McDaniel College Gospel Choir, directed by Senior Adjunct Lecturer Shelley Ensor, Smith also performed in the Green TerrorTones a cappella ensemble and the College Choir, both directed by Senior Lecturer of Music Kyle Engler, as well as in Engler’s Singing on Stage class.

Engler said, "Jaylin proved to be a strong presence in the sopranos section and was featured as a soloist on numerous occasions. Her talent and love of the art is clear to all that interact with her." 

In addition to performing, Smith is a member of the Honors Program and is involved in the McDaniel W.O.R.T.H. student organization. She has been inducted into the Alpha Lambda Delta, Alpha Psi Omega theatre, and Sigma Tau Delta English honor societies, along with the Beta Alpha Chi music honor society, serving as treasurer.

Smith, who now resides in Frederick, Maryland, says she has a deep passion for performance education. She hopes to pursue an M.F.A. and one day open her own performing arts center for underprivileged children.

The Rising Star Performing Arts Competition is part of the Howard County Arts Council’s 28th annual Celebration of the Arts in Howard County on Saturday, Oct. 25, at the Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center at Howard Community College. The audience will cast their votes to determine the winner of a $5,000 top prize.

This marks the second time that Smith has participated in the event while a McDaniel student. She was a finalist in 2023 and received a certificate of recognition and a $500 prize from Howard County Executive Calvin Ball. 

"My time at McDaniel has helped me to continue nurturing my love for music and theatrical arts, and has given me the support and confidence to share my passions with the campus and beyond. Whether it was utilizing the practice rooms in Levine to rehearse my music, polishing my notes by reintroducing piano class to my daily schedule, or revising dynamics with music professionals, McDaniel has pushed me to challenge myself and reach further. I am so grateful for this opportunity that I have been granted," Smith said.