Born Adrienne Monique Coleman on November 13, 1980, this Columbia, South Carolina native is currently living the dream as a Hollywood actress. Her training began at the Workshop Theatre School of Dramatic Arts where she performed in over 15 plays. During one class, taught by a guest instructor, her lesson became an audition where she booked her first commercial, from here you could say the rest is history, but why don’t we delve into that a little farther?

After that first commercial, Monique continued to audition for anything she could: local and regional commercials and a few small roles in movies. While still in SC, she remained active in her community while attending Heathwood Hall Episcopal School. After graduating, she then attended The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting in 2002.

With degree in hand, along with an extensive training and ever growing resume, Monique headed to LA where she soon found guest appearances on shows like Strong Medicine, Malcolm in the Middle, and Veronica Mars. In 2005 she starred opposite James Earl Jones in The Hallmark Channel’s movie, The Reading Room. This role not only allowed her to work with one of her idols, but also won her a Camie Award at the 2006 NAACP Awards.

Thinking things couldn’t get much better, Monique found herself a spot in the hit made-for-tv movie musical, High School Musical, as Taylor McKessie. This soon lead to guest appearances on co-star Ashley Tisdale’s tv show, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, a spot in season three competition of Dancing with the Stars, and the movies two sequels, High School Musical 2 and High School Musical 3.

As the series took off and broke records right and left, Monique soon found herself in the spotlight and in a position of influence for young children and teens. Always one who wanted to help in her community she now donates time and money to both the Starlight Foundation and Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty.

Though many of us see her as an overnight success from the hit High School Musical, Monique has definitely paid her dues to the acting community. With her extensive training and immense dedication, this star is not one we will see fade quickly.