These are the words that Professor Susan Hinshaw lives by, and they’re the same inspirational words that she passes onto her students semester after semester. As a lover of theater and a dedicated member of the COC instructing faculty, Hinshaw makes it a priority to ensure that her students all get to see the excitement and opportunity that the world of acting holds for them.

Hinshaw's love for theater bloomed when she took an acting class in her senior year of high school. After receiving her BA from the School of Drama at the University of Washington in Seattle. She pursued her MFA in Acting at Cal State Fullerton, but perhaps the most exciting aspect of her career has been studying with the Royal Shakespeare Company in London. Hinshaw transitioned into teaching when she realized that, for her, teaching students the art of acting brought her more joy than merely pursuing it herself. 

Here at COC, she teaches various acting courses, including Fundamentals of Acting, Scene Performance, Solo Performance, and Theater Production. "The best part of teaching is opening the hearts and minds of my students," she shares. "Many students come to acting to retrieve their emotional life, and theater is the perfect place to do that."

Indeed, Hinshaw has made it her mission to allow students to bring out their inner lives via theater. On a more personal note, Hinshaw indulges herself in the excitement of traveling and sports; specifically, she is an avid skier, swimmer, and more. Among her arsenal of personal achievements is her experience as a downhill ski instructor and ballroom dance instructor, which only adds to her love for performing.

“These days, I’m spending more time writing than acting,” she says. “My goal one day is to get a book published or have a screenplay produced.” Hinshaw is an individual who has entirely thrown herself into the world of acting and theater. As a woman of many talents, she has undoubtedly found a way to combine her love for teaching with the desire to spread her love of acting far beyond the reach of the stage.