Tessa Kresch, who is graduating this year with a BFA in Acting and a B.A. in broadcast journalism and a minor in entrepreneurship and innovation, has been selected by the Senior Class Council to deliver remarks at Michigan State University’s Fall 2024 baccalaureate degree commencement ceremony scheduled for 2 p.m., Dec. 14, at the Breslin Student Events Center.
“I know that MSU has prepared me for this moment in countless ways,” Kresch said about the honor of being chosen to represent the Fall Class of 2024 as commencement speaker. “I feel so grateful for everything that has made my journey here what it was. I can’t wait to share this moment with my fellow Spartans and reflect on all that we’ve achieved together.”
Originally from Farmington Hills, Michigan, Kresch moved to Puerto Rico during high school. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she had to choose a college to attend, which she said was difficult. However, she said she was drawn to MSU because of the stellar reputation of the university’s Theatre Department and the proximity to her family.
“I began college at a WEIRD time – 2020 – and an even weirder time to be an acting student,” Kresch said. “However, it was the people I met along the way who made it worthwhile. We started as strangers who would private message over Zoom and we ended as lifelong friends.”
‘Theatre was my home’
From the day she was cast as a spoon in the production of “Beauty and the Beast” at 7 years old, Kresch says she knew she wanted to be an actor.
“I participated in numerous school productions and took on roles that extended beyond the realm of cutlery,” she said. “With each experience came new challenges and learning opportunities.”
However, as she approached the end of high school, she questioned whether she should pursue her passion for performance or choose a more practical major.
“Theatre was my home, but as I approached the end of high school, I had to make a choice,” Kresch said. “When I found out that I could not only study my favorite thing but also be surrounded by a supportive community of students and faculty, I had to take the leap. I chose to be a Spartan and I never looked back.”
During her time at MSU, Kresch was in the main cast of six productions on campus, including playing Miss Scarlet in Clue in October 2023, which she says was a major highlight of her MSU experience. She also participated in professional staged readings with the Williamston Theatre. In addition, she has acted in numerous student and local films and sound designed multiple plays and musicals. During Summer 2023, she worked as a sound designer and actor for MSU’s Summer Circle Theatre.
“The Theatre Department gives students the opportunity to figure out what exactly we want to do and allows us to experiment in all aspects of the theatre.”
It was through the Theatre Department that she discovered a love for voice and screen acting.
“The Theatre Department gives students the opportunity to figure out what exactly we want to do and allows us to experiment in all aspects of the theatre,” Kresch said. “I would not have discovered my love for voice and screen acting if it wasn’t for the opportunities that presented themselves at MSU and the encouragement from my professors.”
Birth of a broadcasting career
In her voice acting class in Spring 2022, Kresch said she learned a lot about how to use her voice to make an impact and she became interested in audio production. She did the voice-over for MSU’s 2022 Welcome Back video, an experience that taught her a lot about sound production, which led her, in November 2022, to start working for MSU’s student-run radio station, Impact 89FM | WDBM-FM, where she has served as Senior News Producer and Podcast Host and Producer of the weekly radio show Exposure.
“For the Exposure podcast, I interview members from student clubs and organizations across campus weekly. Not only has this been an amazing way to dive deeper into broadcasting, but it’s also expanded my appreciation for all the incredible things students do here at MSU,” Kresch said. “What’s crazy is that even after all these interviews, I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface.”
For her work on Exposure, Kresch won first place for Best Regularly Scheduled Entertainment Program at the 2024 College Broadcasters, Inc., National Student Media Convention Oct. 23-26 in Seattle. She also earned a third place 2024 Pinnacle Award for Best Audio Talk/Entertainment Program, presented by the College Media Association at the Fall 2024 National College Media Convention in New Orleans Oct. 30-Nov. 2.
“It was such an incredible feeling to have my work recognized on a national level,” Kresch said, “and I feel so grateful for Impact 89FM – WDBM.”
Kresch also produced, directed, and sound designed the Mortem Corp. audio drama podcast, which received second place in the Comedy or Drama category at the 2024 Broadcast Education Association Festival of Media Arts Student Audio Competition. This podcast combines Kresch’s passion for the art and broadcasting and she says she is “grateful to everyone who helped make it happen.”
“It was such an incredible feeling to have my work recognized on a national level, and I feel so grateful for Impact 89FM – WDBM.”
Earlier this year, Kresch received a scholarship and two awards from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters at the 2024 Student Broadcast Awards luncheon. She won first place in the “on-air personality” category and received an honorable mention for the same category. In April 2024, she presented at the Michigan Association of Broadcasters Excellence Awards ceremony in Detroit.
Kresch also is part of the team that helped Impact 89FM | WDBM-FM earn the Pinnacle Award for 2024 National College Radio Station of the Year. She said she “owes so much” to Impact, as her time at the radio station is what inspired her to pursue a second degree in Broadcast Journalism.
However, Impact 89FM – WDBM isn’t her only experience working in radio. During Summer 2023, she interned as a Production Assistant for the show “Stateside” on the NPR Michigan Public Radio Network.
“(At Michigan Public) I got to work with such hardworking and talented people that I admire,” Kresch said. “That internship taught me so much about the world of broadcast journalism and made me feel even more drawn to it.”
Since May 2024, Kresch has worked for WLNS-TV as a Television News Reporter and Producer. Just last month, she had a first-time experience reporting on a presidential election. She also moderated a panel for the Michigan Association of Broadcasters at Ford Field. She plans to continue in the broadcast industry after graduation.
A fond farewell
In her commencement address, Kresch said she wants to deliver a joyous and uplifting message.
“After college, we’re all stepping into a world of unknown, kind of like how it feels when we start college, so it will be a reassuring message that we have the tools, the resources, and the connections to flourish in life,” Kresch said. “The Spartan network is so powerful and it’s daunting, but we’re not alone.”
Kresch also is leaving MSU with another final parting gift – a guided sound walk from the Spartan Statue to Beaumont Tower. Called “Walk With Me: An MSU Sound Experience,” Kresch completed the project during her last semester as an undergraduate student as part of an independent study with Lucas Nunn, Academic Specialist in Sound Design and Engineering in the Department of Theatre.
“I’ve poured my heart into this,” Kresch said. “It’s been an incredible journey of research, conversations with MSU experts, writing, recording and deepening my appreciation for everything this campus has to offer.”
Anyone can take this guided audio journey. It is available on the Impact 89FM – WDBM website.
Despite entering her freshman year at MSU during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kresch says her experience at Michigan State University has been nothing but positive.
“The support I have received from my professors and peers during my time here has been so touching and made me more sure of myself and my decision to become a Spartan,” Kresch said. “MSU has given me so many opportunities that have allowed me to grow so much and that have led me to finding my community and myself. I also would like to thank my parents and four older siters who have encouraged me to follow my dreams.”
“MSU has given me so many opportunities that have allowed me to grow so much and that have led me to finding my community and myself.”
Michigan State University’s Fall 2024 Commencement Ceremonies will take place on Friday, Dec. 13, for the advanced degrees and Saturday, Dec. 14, for the baccalaureate degrees. All commencement ceremonies will be livestreamed on the Commencement website home page.
For the baccalaureate degree ceremonies on Dec. 14, at 10 a.m. will be the ceremony for those graduates from the College of Arts & Letters, College of Education, College of Music, College of Social Science, Eli Broad College of Business, James Madison College, and the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities. The 2 p.m. ceremony is for graduates of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, College of Communication Arts and Sciences, College of Engineering, Lyman Briggs College, College of Natural Science, and College of Nursing.
This story originally appeared on the College of Arts and Letters website.
