Undergraduate Education
Although the United States entered World War II just before Shaughnessy graduated high school, she was not deterred from further pursuing her academic work. Shaughnessy applied and was accepted to the School of Speech at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. At Northwestern, Shaughnessy met lifelong friend, Priscilla Weaver. Shaughnessy achieved academic success in college as she had previously, maintaining a 3.7 or better grade point average for her entire four years’ work.
Shaughnessy worked closely with Alvina Krause, an assistant professor at Northwestern at the time. She overcame her Midwestern accent and further developed the air of sophistication and confidence that was her trademark during her tutelage in the art and skill of public speaking (a knack that would serve her well later in her career) and acting. One summer, Alvina Krause invited Mina to join her theater company that would travel to Eagles Mere, Pennsylvania. Shaughnessy joined the company, and after one performance was invited to audition for Eugene O’Neill’s A Moon for the Misbegotten in New York. Shaughnessy turned down the talent scout’s offer, though, feeling it was more important that she return to Northwestern and complete her education. Shaughnessy graduated in 1946.
Read more about this topic: Mina P. Shaughnessy
Famous quotes containing the word education:
“His education lay like a film of white oil on the black lake of his barbarian consciousness. For this reason, the things he said were hardly interesting at all. Only what he was.”
—D.H. (David Herbert)