Zoe's Bio

Hi, everyone!

My name is Zoe Replinger, and I am a freshman from Rock Island, IL, which is right on the Illinois-Iowa border. I am a theatre major with a concentration in acting, which means that I am a student in the College of Fine + Applied Arts. I plan to complete a dual degree in theatre and advertising, which is a unit within the College of Media. I am also a FAA James Scholar and a Chancellor's Scholar.

I got involved in the world of the performing arts when I waltzed into my first ballet class at age five. I trained pre-professionally for ten years, but a severe back injury forced me to switch gears. Around the same time that I got injured, I started performing in musical theatre productions with a local youth community theater. I loved everything about it! Before long, I devoted all of my time to the theatre. I have performed in almost two dozen productions since high school. It turns out that being a dancer makes you quite cast-able in the world of musical theatre! I look forward to continuing on in the acting curriculum at Illinois. The professors are all experts at what they do, and they all lead by example through their work as actors and directors, both on-campus and around the country.

Within the last six months, I discovered my interest in my other intended area of study: advertising. Last fall, I served as the social media chair of the marketing committee on the Illini Union Board, and now, I am serving as the director of marketing. I am also an editorial intern with Illinois Admissions, and I am sitting in the communications office as I write this bio! I love the creativity involved in the world of advertising, and I look forward to experiencing coursework that I can apply to my work.

When I look back on my childhood, I am certain that I was destined to attend the University of Illinois. Both of my parents went to school here, and so did both of my dad's brothers. My late grandfather on my dad's side was a professor of architecture at Illinois through the 1980s, and my grandmother is a fiber artist who has been active in the C-U art scene throughout her life. Though I was born in the Quad Cities, my roots are here. I could not be more thrilled to be a double legacy at Illinois, and if I'm lucky, I hope to send my future children here one day. Even if they choose a different path, you can bet that there will be plenty of baby pictures of them clad in Illinois onesies and bibs!

In my free time (there is little), I love to read plays, take dance classes, and listen to TED talks and podcasts. I also, of course, love to write, and I am working on creating a personal blog. When I grow up, I want to travel the world and learn how to cook!

I would love to hear from you, so please reach out to me if you have any questions about Illinois, theatre, or life in general! I-L-L!