Brockton High grad's dream comes true modeling, acting in LA

BROCKTON — When Kelem Makonnen looks outside her luxe central Hollywood condo, she sees palms trees, people in the jacuzzi, and the famous Hollywood sign staring at her from a distance. Makonnen embodies her wildest dreams of being a published model, actress and living in her dream home in California.

Makonnen's talent can be found in front-page spreads for G-Shock Casio, Reebok, The North Face, Ikea and Subaru. Her acting can be found on television commercials from Amazon to American Airlines and HBO's hit series "Insecure."

The Brockton native credits her success to listening to her instincts and following her dreams despite people's opinions.

"It's okay to be a little delusional and have a blind faith in whatever higher power you're subscribed to. My friends and family thought I was crazy to walk away from my job since it paid well and was a steady income. I went against everyone's advice and told myself it will be worth it one day, and it was," Makonnen said.

Makonnen's new career began when she quit her Los Angeles-based project manager position to pursue acting and modeling full-time.

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But, unfortunately, she didn't have money saved or a plan in mind besides following her gut and passions.

Within a week of quitting her 9-5 job, she was discovered by an agent, and the auditions began to roll in. A memorable moment of Makonnen's acting career was having a chance to audition for a role in "General Hospital."

It hits home for the young actress because her family watched General Hospital when they lived in Ethiopia before immigrating to the United States.

"Sometimes it's hard for my family to see my vision, and my mom always watched General Hospital back in the day, so being able to audition for that was an incredible moment for me. It feels good to know I'm moving in the right direction. I was so happy to share it with my mom whether I was booked for the show or not," Makonnen said.

While attending Brockton High School in 2010, Makonnen took Bob Hogan's acting class and discovered her love for the fine arts. Hogan made her go on the stage to act an improv scene since she disrupted the lesson by having a side conversation.

After the improv performance was over, Makonnen realized how much fun she had and loved being on stage.

Moving forward, Hogan planted a seed of inspiration and encouraged her to audition for plays at BHS and to join the drama club, she said.

The seeds sprouted, and Makonnen became the person she's always dreamed she could be.

"I remember my first paid gig was for Subaru REI. I was so excited and amazed to be finally paid for something I loved to do, and I grew up camping, so to be on set shooting camping scenes was surreal," Makonnen said.

One of Makonnen's favorite parts of acting and modeling is the creative freedom to play someone different and constantly have new gigs. Her dream acting role would be to play a character in the new show "Euphoria" starring Zendaya Coleman.

As glamorous as the life of a model may seem, there are some struggles the Brockton native went through on her journey.

"You have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. I went from having a secure career with a great paycheck coming in every two weeks and I always knew where rent was coming from. But in this industry, you aren't too sure where your next paycheck is coming from as an actress or model," Makonnen said.

Despite the perils of breaking into the industry, Makonnen always kept herself grounded by hiking up the trails of Hollywood Hills and listening to the sounds of nature and speaking affirmations.

"On the top of the hike overlooking all of Hollywood, I spoke my goals and dreams out loud. I would embody the feelings of my dreams coming true and just imagining I already own the whole town. I would go up there by myself and meditate, take deep breaths and watch the sunset or sunrise. I take deep breaths and believe the life I want is already mine," Makonnen said.

"I'm living the life I've always wanted because I took the scary steps to create my reality," she said.

"My advice to anyone is to listen to your heart and chase your passion no matter how crazy it sounds. Even if you don't have a plan, just do it and don't always take advice from people. Sometimes only you know what's best for you. If I took everyone's advice, I wouldn't be where I am today."

In the coming weeks, Makonnen is taking a sabbatical from modeling and acting to travel to Ethiopia to help her family rebuild a school and library that her great-grandfather built decades ago but that has since been destroyed by war.

It's a love project her family is invested in and will hopefully complete by the end of the year.

To book Makonnen, visit www.kelemmakonnen.com.

Enterprise staff reporter Alisha Saint-Ciel can be reached by email at stciela@gannett.com You can follow her on Twitter at @alishaspeakss. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Enterprise today.

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Brockton High grad Kelem Makonnen finds success modeling and acting