Others Call Her Ash, but I Call Her Mom

By Rena McInerney ’16

Throughout the years, Immaculate Heart has been home to many actresses, artists, musicians and dancers, who have gone on to great success in their fields. Among IH stars, Mary Tyler Moore, Pat Carroll and Tyra Banks may come to mind.

But what about the women behind these lovely ladies? Have you ever wondered what your friend’s mother does? Have you ever seen a parent at back-to-school night and thought to yourself, “Do I know her from something? Her voice is so familiar.”

Perhaps you have even thought this about my mom, Veronica Taylor, and if you did, you were right! My mother is a voice actress, and, as some of you may know, she is probably best known as the voices of Ash Ketchum, May, and Ash’s mom in the hit show, Pokémon. What you may not know is she went to college and graduate school for acting, has toured around the U.S. with several theatre companies, and was once on the soap Another World.

One of the perks of doing cartoons is going to comic conventions around the world. My mom started in New Zealand and Australia in 2002 and since then, we’ve gone to more and more every year. This summer, for example, we went to Canada, Scotland, England, Australia, New Zealand, and Florida.

Here is the exclusive behind-the-scenes scoop of what goes on at these conventions: As a guest, you usually go through a secret back door connected to the convention center. There, your handler will greet you and escort you to the green room, where you can mingle with the other guests and eat delicious food. This has to be my favorite part because it is back there where you will meet some of the ‘stars’ of the convention! So grab a quick bite, sit down by Cary Elwes or Patrick Stewart and strike up a conversation! The trick I’ve learned from attempting this many times is to act like you don’t really know what show they’re from (even though you obviously do!) and start talking with them about something in the green room. My favorite conversation starter always has something to do with the assortment of food that they give us. And let me tell you- it works every time.

After that exhilarating moment, it’s time for you to go out and sign some autographs! This usually takes some time, but you get to meet very interesting people and hear their moving stories. My mom often speaks on a panel to an audience ranging from 20 to 2000 people. This is a new experience every time.

If I have learned one thing from my mom, it’s that you have to follow your dreams. You never know where they’ll take you.

image from hero.wikia.com