May 6, 2025
Rebecca Celestin explained why she left the Navy to pursue her love of acting, particularly at Howard University.
This soon-to-be Howard University graduate has had an unusual journey to her acting career. Hailing from the Navy, Rebecca Celestin’s decision to pursue acting resulted in her attendance at the HBCU.
Celestin always had a knack for the arts, before deciding to enter the military. She began her studies in film school at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. The Miami native then joined the Navy, completing an eight-and-a-half-year stint in the military. She was about to extend her contract, but her passions had other plans.
“I served in the Navy for eight and a half years, and while I was in the Navy, leading up to my second contract, I knew that that was going to be my last contract because I was like, ‘I don’t feel fulfilled.’ Almost like I wasn’t doing what I was supposed to. What I was meant to,” she told The Dig, Howard’s school publication.
She had previously shied away from acting, despite having an affinity for the craft. She doubted a future career in it, primarily due to her appearance and potential disapproval by her Christian Haitian parents. Despite these fears, the dream still stayed with her, forcing Celestin to make a move for her own fulfillment. She chose Howard because of its renaming of its college of fine arts to honor the alum who not only impacted the school but also the world of movies.
“I chose Howard because of Chadwick A. Boseman,” explained Celestin. “The way he lived his life, to know that he was going through what he was going through and still was fulfilling what he believed was his purpose. He still did what he felt God wanted him to do, and wanted him to leave on this earth, and I thought that was just a powerful, beautiful thing.”
She added, “I’m like, ‘I want to be that; I wanna do with what they’ve done, and I want to make the impact they’ve made in the industry.’”
While her time in the Navy did not last forever, her military experience developed the discipline to pursue a career with long, fluctuating hours. Moreover, her age has offered the emotional wisdom required to perform certain scenes.
“Since I’m pursuing this at an older age, I have so much that I can grab from to say, ‘I’ve dealt with this, I felt this; I know what this is,’ so I can bring it to the work that I do on stage or on film,” explained Celestin.
Since attending Howard, she has learned the “foundation of acting” alongside other courses, from playwriting to dance and singing. She believes learning all these facets of performance will shape one into a “triple threat” in the industry.
Celestin, whose stage name is Rebecca Celeste, has earned applause from her peers and professors. She has earned multiple roles in several school performances, winning the 52nd Owen Dodson Award for Best Supporting Actress for her comedic role in The House That Will Not Stand.
Now, she has a new love for Shakespeare that matches her new degree. The upcoming HBCU graduate hopes to embark on this next career phase.
“You don’t need a lot of time on this planet…You don’t need a lot of time in your industry, in your field to make a positive impact on the world, on the people next to you. You don’t even have to think so grand as far as the world. Sometimes it’s just your community, your inner circle that you can inspire.”
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