Summer 2014
|
TOWER
17
design experience,” she explained. “What gotme the job
was the actual on-camera audition. If I didn’t have the
acting skills, I would never have been able to land any of
those jobs.The theatre classes I took at KU really helped.
I’m a better performer today, because of the degree I
earned at Kutztown.”
“HomeMade Simple” ran through 2010.
In 2011,ColónmarriedMartinMáté,who shemet
on the “HomeMade Simple” set. She is stepmother to
AlexandraMáté.
In addition to embracing her role as wife andmother,
Colón has worked on a variety of cooking, design and film
projects.An up-and-coming chef, she won a national recipe
contest sponsored by JCPenney.Her entry, a Peruvian dish
known as
lomo saltado
,won a spot on themenu at Chef
Emeril Lagasse’sNewOrleans eatery,NOLARestaurant.
Budding chefs interested in learning to cook likeColón can
access her ‘Spanglish’ cooking channel onYouTube.Colón
has also joined the StyleMy Space home staging and
(Far left) WandaColón
’93, (left) Colónbehind
the scenes of “24Hour
Design,” (below) Colón
at Emeril Lagasse’s
NOLA restaurant where
her award-winning
lomo soldato (pictured
onpage 16)won a spot
on themenu.
“You learn to
hustle
, learn to
adapt
. I have a huge appreciation for
where I come from. That’swheremy platform to success originated.”
—WANDA COLÓN ’93
design company as an interior designer and instructor, and
filmed amovie called “Swelter,” starringAlfredMolina and
Jean-ClaudeVanDamme.
In the summer of 2013,Colón found a lump in her
breast.A biopsy soon followed.Within a week, she was
diagnosedwith breast cancer.Colón has finished her treat-
ments and recently underwent a bilateral mastectomy and
reconstructive surgery.
“I go from ‘I can deal with this, other people have,’ and
‘I’m lucky I found it right away,’ to other days where I think
‘This sucks,’” she said after her diagnosis. “I can’t ignore it;
it’s something I have to go through. I just can’t wait until
this chapter of my life is over.”
While bravely battling breast cancer, she continuedwork-
ing on interior design projects, cohosted infomercials with
fitness guru Jake Steinfeld (“Body by Jake”) and served as a
spokesperson for Febreze.
In a difficult time, one thing is sure –Colónwon’t let
anything stand in her way.
