ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Alum Kasmira Mohanty honors mother's legacy with Usdan Musical Theater Scholarship 

Christine Mohanty was a celebrated foreign language educator for 30 years and held a PhD in English Literature. Yet “when you asked her what her profession was, she would always say ‘Actress,’” her daughter Kasmira Mohanty shared. 

So, when Usdan alum Kasmira began looking for a way to honor her mother’s legacy after her passing in July 2023, Usdan’s Theater program felt like the obvious choice. In October 2025, The Huntington Arts Council announced the Christine Mohanty Memorial Scholarship for 2026, offering students in grades 4–8 a $3,000 scholarship to study Musical Theater at Usdan this summer. 

As The Huntington Arts Council scholarship page reads, “The scholarship stands as a testament to Christine’s impact, supporting future students who share her passion for the arts and commitment to making a difference in the world through performance and education.” 

When reflecting on the choice of Usdan, Kasmira recalled being a child in the ’80s, boarding a bus and feeling magically transported to a foreign world. As an adult, she now laughs at the memory, realizing Usdan is simply on Long Island — quite close to where she grew up and where she now lives. Kasmira studied Dance at Usdan, experiences she values as formative training in confidence and communication, though her creative path ultimately took a different direction. 

After stepping away from dance and theater, Kasmira pursued her interest in fashion at FIT. However, instead she discovered a new love: photography. 

“My ADD loved the instant gratification, the technology, the whole medium of photography,” Kasmira reflected, tracing the beginning of her enduring passion for digital arts. 

“The traditional and the modern, they can weave,” Kasmira reflected, noting that what matters most to her is innovating across mediums, techniques, and genres — from floppy discs to screen printing with SUV tires to messing around with Photoshop. Kasmira's portfolio includes digital mixed media pieces, sculptures and public installations, and articles in national publications such as SchoolArts Magazine. 

"Scream Into Your Heart," Mixed Media | Digital, by Kasmira Mohanty

In parallel with her exploration of digital arts, a “scuffle with my mom over a game of Scrabble” led Christine to challenge Kasmira to teach one of her Creative Writing classes. 

Accepting the dare in her signature bold style, “I wheeled in a whole bunch of magazines, and I told everybody to start ripping out pages indiscriminately and to lay them out in whatever order,” Kasmira shared with amusement. 

“Then I said: Go write. I’ve just cured your writer’s block.” 

Christine watched the class unfold, and during their debrief afterward, she expressed how impressed she was with the way Kasmira had captured the room. 

With her mother’s support and playful encouragement, Kasmira soon began seeking out teaching programs. In education, she found both stability for her multimedia practice and an opportunity to explore her curiosity about how traditional and modern approaches intersect in digital art. 

As a teacher, Kasmira finds space to distill her philosophy and share her unique perspective on digital art with her students — encouraging them to think beyond the obvious function of technology and to remember that “the technology is always founded in the traditional.” Bringing the two together, she believes, opens a world of creative possibility. 

And in a full-circle moment, Kasmira’s relationship with Usdan continues. She remembers the splendor of summers spent in nature and sees the Musical Theater Scholarship as deeply aligned with her mother’s legacy of “taking giant bites out of life.” 

Interested in applying for the Christine Mohanty Memorial Scholarship? Visit huntingtonarts.org/programs/arts-in-education/scholarship-programs/. 

Interested in creating a scholarship at Usdan to celebrate an arts lover in your life? Contact development@usdan.org for more information.