Class of 2018 - Marisa Manhart

Marisa graduated from St. Mary in 2018 and attended high school at Rosary in Aurora. She excelled academically at both St. Mary and Rosary, but it was her love of music and theatre that was instilled early at St. Mary and only reinforced in high school. While at Rosary, she landed lead roles in the musicals The Little Mermaid, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, Shrek, and Phantom of the Opera. Marisa participated in vocal choir all four years at Rosary and was honored to have achieved ILMEA Solo and Ensemble Superior ratings 2019-2022 and to have been selected to the ILMEA All-State Choir as a Junior and Honors All-State Choir as a Senior.

After graduating from Rosary in 2022, Marisa chose to pursue her passion of theater performance. She was accepted into the Music Theatre program at American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in New York City. After almost two years of intense vocal singing, acting, and

​dance training, she will be finishing up her Sophomore year in June 2024, earning her Conservatory degree. She has been spending part of Sophomore year auditioning for numerous shows, on and off Broadway, along with participating in professionally produced showcases at AMDA. Marisa was recently accepted in the Flourish Performing Arts musical theatre training program in Washington Heights on New York's Upper West Side during the summer of 2024. In the fall, she will begin her Junior year at AMDA, continuing her studies toward a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Congratulations Marisa! You make St. Mary so proud!

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