The Clark Kent Effect

Raising your hand and speaking up in an enormous classroom can be pretty intimidating to many of us. So it’s reassuring to know that this can also be true for people who are very used to being in the spotlight.

Film and television actor and musician Laura Marano, for example.

“My political science class is in a huge lecture hall and whenever I raise my hand to talk, I still get nervous,” she insisted. “My heart is beating and it’s like, ‘Here we go!’ It’s exhilarating.”

Aside from being a freshman at USC Dornsife, Marano stars as Ally in the hit Disney Channel television series Austin and Ally. The show premiered in 2011 and the final season is scheduled to air this winter. After she graduated from high school, the Los Angeles native deferred her admission to USC so she could take a year to focus on two of her biggest passions, acting and songwriting.

A world view

Balancing her college and professional careers, this semester she’s attending USC Dornsife part-time, though she hopes to graduate around the same time as her peers. She loved USC right from the start; the university is also her mother Ellen’s alma mater.

“Whenever I’m on campus I get the Trojan feeling — honestly, it’s so cool. I’m already making friends in my classes and while it’s definitely unique, I feel like I’m having a social college experience.”

Marano is unique in part because she has already chosen her career. She wants to continue working in the entertainment industry as a singer and actor — something she’s done her entire life and still loves.

“Usually people go to college and use that time to figure out what they want to do. But even though I already know, I still want to go to college and continue my education.”

Laura Marano stars as Ally in the Disney Channel television series Austin and Ally. Photo courtesy of Laura Marano.

Along with “Law, Politics and Public Policy,” she’s taking the general education seminar “Humanistic Inquiry.” Choosing her major, philosophy, politics and law, was a cinch because she’s always been interested in politics. Part of this interest stems from her international charity work with UNICEF. 

“In order to make substantial changes in a third-world country or countries with conflict, you really have to know about government. I’ve been wanting to learn more about law and governments, how the different kinds function. I thought this would be an awesome major to expand my knowledge in that area.”

Always ready to give back

The 19-year-old has made giving back an important part of her life’s work. She started working with UNICEF when she was 16 and was named the 2013 Trick or Treat for UNICEF ambassador. She’s particularly interested in working to expand educational access around the world.

She’s worked with The Humane Society of the United States for its Meatless Monday campaign, which challenges Americans to eat less meat both for the benefit of animals and their own health. She also worked with Do Something — a nonprofit organization that works to motivate young people to take action for social change — on their campaign warning of the dangers of texting and driving.

“Whether it’s finding one specific thing that really means a lot to you or spreading your efforts across several issues, I think it’s so important to give back in some way and be part of a bigger picture idea,” she said.

Now that filming for Austin and Ally has wrapped up, Marano is excited to prioritize her work as a singer-songwriter more heavily. In March she signed to Big Machine Records — superstar Taylor Swift is a label-mate — and since then she’s been recording, performing and traveling around the United States.

Marano sings and plays piano, and her music is generally categorized as pop. “If Maroon 5 and 5 Seconds of Summer had a female lovechild, that’s me, genre-wise,” she laughed.

Going incognito?

After adjusting from a lifetime of being in school to a year of working exclusively, now she is re-adjusting back to life as a student.

“In the mornings, I’m on campus going to my classes, then the rest of the day I’m recording music in the studio — so I go from student to singer-songwriter throughout the day. It’s pretty awesome.”

When asked if she gets recognized a lot on campus, she said that everyone has been very polite. Recently she was amused to hear a couple of guys that passed her in the USC bookstore whisper, “Wow, she looks just like the girl from Austin and Ally!”

“I think some people think I can’t see them — sometimes they’ll try to sneak photos or casually walk past to confirm it’s me. Overall everyone’s been awesome though.

“When I go to classes I’m not putting any effort into my appearance at all. I’ve got my glasses on, hair in a clip and I’m in sweatpants. There’s something I call the Clark Kent Effect where I can literally put my hair up and glasses on and people will not recognize me. It’s hilarious.”