Shirley Rumierk
Born and raised in Hell's Kitchen, Shirley Rumierk hosted the local New York TV series "Cool in Your Code" (WNYE-TV, 2004-) from 2004 to 2006. Rumierk's ties to her native city indeed were strong; as a youth, she gained her first exposure to acting through the program the 52nd Street Project, which paired mentors from the arts with interested young people. Though Rumierk would go on to attend Harvard University, pressure from her parents held her back from studying theater, and she ultimately graduated with a degree in Romance languages. Soon afterward, however, she made the decision to pursue her dream, attending the Actor Center Conservatory's one year program. After booking a few commercials in addition to her gig hosting "Cool in Your Code," Rumierk landed a role on Broadway in "Latinologues," a groundbreaking play that enabled her to draw on her own Hispanic heritage (her mother is from Puerto Rico and her father is from Colombia), as well as to learn about the individual experiences and accents of the Dominican and Cuban communities. After the show wrapped, Rumierk moved into TV, appearing on series like "Ugly Betty" (ABC, 2006-2010) and "Lipstick Jungle" (NBC, 2008-09). She also appeared in the drama "Collateral Beauty" (2016) as Will Smith's deceased wife before joining the cast of musical drama "Rise" (NBC 2018-).