Rachael Harris '90

Majors: Theatre and Music

Rachael is making a name for herself as an actress in Los Angeles, California. She starred as the controlling Melissa in the hit movie The Hangover and Cooper on the sitcom Notes from the Underbelly. She also spent a few years with The Groundlings, an improvisational comedy troupe based in LA. Currently she plays one of Courtney Cox's neighbors, Shanna, on the weekly show Cougar Town.

Why Otterbein? Rachael was drawn to Otterbein's community feel and location in a suburb, but said it depends on what's right for you. "If you want a more intimate experience, this is the place," she said. "

Take it with you:"Otterbein laid the foundation for me as an actor," Rachael said. "I was given opportunities that most don't get until they get to a grad program. You learned to understand the business, not that you just have to be a good actress." A self-proclaimed "theatre nerd", Rachael spent much of her college years on stage, in voice lessons, and singing at choir concerts. However, Rachael said the conservatory experience at Otterbein and the integrative studies classes helped her to become an informed human. "I got to focus so much on my theatre classes but remind myself that there was more to life than acting like someone else," she said.