Student Spotlight: Actor, Entertainer Finds Home in COMC

Udeme Michael Afangideh’s heart was not always in the Texas Tech College of Media & Communication.

Afangideh, who goes by Michael, set foot on campus hoping to earn a degree that would provide a stable job after graduation. He said he started as a pre-pharmacy major and changed to nursing a month into his first year in college. He is now a junior advertising major.

Photo provided by Michael Afangideh.

“I had to be realistic with what I wanted to do, and I decided to run with entertainment,” Afangideh said.

He knew he wanted to be a part of the College of Media & Communication but was uncertain about choosing his area of study.

“My first thought was marketing because it’s kind of broad in general, and I can use it to market myself as an entertainer,” Afangideh said. “My second choice was advertising. Not that it’s my second choice, but it’s just more specific in the marketing umbrella.”

Afangideh said he loves his classes so far and thinks he is doing well in them.

“Taking classes like microbiology, chemistry and all that, and going from that to taking Introduction to Advertising or Ad and Society … now allows me to multitask and do other things like make music or go to all my dance practices and be a part of all the shows,” he said.

Acting was Afangideh’s first pursuit. He said seeing the young actors in “Spy Kids” showed him acting is possible at any age.

He began participating in theater as a seventh-grader and continued acting throughout high school. This led to a job opportunity. He said he is now signed by the Lubbock-based Robert Spence Model and Talent Agency and has appeared in several commercials.

Michael2

Photo provided by Michael Afangideh.

“I actually work with the advertising companies that want a specific commercial for a product, and I’m, like, an actor in that commercial for that product,” Afangideh said.

Dance is yet another one of his passions. He said friends sparked his interest during his freshman year in high school.

“Ever since then I’ve just kinda been into it,” Afangideh said. “I’m self-taught; I’ve never been to any classes. YouTube taught me, honestly.”

Once he got to college, he joined Texas Tech’s Dancers With Soul: Hip Hop Team. Afangideh said the group’s biggest performance was during the Texas Tech versus Baylor basketball game halftime show last season.

Rapping and singing are the newest additions to his repertoire. He said he joined a friend on some projects and ended up enjoying it.

Afangideh recently got a manager and a publicist because, as an artist, he thought it was hard to promote himself. He said they have created many opportunities for him to expand his performance schedule.

“It’s just a lot to juggle, and you also have to factor in there that I’m going to school full time, and I have a job,” Afangideh said. “They had the connections to being there when I can perform and open up for Young Nation, and when Fetty Wap comes down for his performance, I’m also gonna open up for him, too.”

Picture provided by Michael Afangideh.

Photo provided by Michael Afangideh.

As for life after graduation, he said, he is going to go wherever the wind takes him.

“I want to be able to utilize my skills that I attain in my major and use that for my benefit in terms of whatever business I try to pursue later on in the future,” Afangideh said.

About Natalie Morales

Natalie Morales, a senior Journalism student, graduates in May of 2016. She has always loved English classes, and writing, and is now pursuing it as a career. She hopes to get a job as a news reporter for a television station in West Texas so that she stays close to home. She wants to eventually be an anchor in a top market.