When it comes to balancing school and social life with auditioning for commercials, acting in TV shows, or even movies, North Atlanta students Lucy Gebhart and Maya Church try their best to stay on top of their game. Many people in this school don’t realize that these two students are working hard toward their goals of becoming Hollywood acting stars. These young women have remained focused, while enduring all of the difficulties associated with the laborious pursuit of a successful acting career.

Lucy Gebhart is a charming sophomore with a big dream. She has been pursuing acting for three years. She has been in numerous student films and she played a character in the Disney movie “The Odd Life of Timothy Green.” Lucy has met celebrities like Mario Lopez, Emma Roberts, Jennifer Garner and members of the cast of “The Hunger Games.” She didn’t always want to be an actress, though. “My parents forced me to go to my first audition,” Gebhart said. “I didn’t get the part, but I started getting calls from agents. So I flew out to LA to meet them. I got head shots, a manager, and we bought an apartment out there for me to stay in.”

Maya Church is a lively junior who is aching to get back into her pursuit of an acting career. Of late, she’s been taking a break because she wanted to spend more time focusing on academics and on having a normal social life. Church has acted in some impressive plays, TV episodes and commercials. She got her start acting at her elementary school where she played the lead role in the musical “Annie.” More recent acting gigs included spots in Old Navy commercials and a guest acting slot in Tyler Perry’s “House of Payne.” She met the entire cast on the TV show. In other jobs, Church became acquainted with celebrities Ashton Kutcher and Emma Roberts.

Although these young women have an impressive start to their acting careers, the acting world is not always unchallenging. “Having a career in acting is never easy,” Church said. “You have to really want it and be dedicated. It’s always hard when you get turned down for a role. You just have to roll with the punches and make sure you’re working with the right people.”

Both girls remark that success requires work, perseverance and a solid belief in one’s self. And if they make it, we all might get to say: “Hey, I knew her when she was in high school!”