Dascha Polanco

Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Brooklyn, Dascha Polanco graduated from Hunter College in 2008 with a BA in Psychology. As a student at Hunter, she juggled the responsibilities of parenting and working full-time while earning her degree. Polanco returned to Hunter in 2015 to deliver the keynote address to incoming students at Convocation, crediting her years at Hunter as formative to her future path: “When I walked down that aisle with my diploma, I said to myself, ‘Who is going to stop me from what I decide to do next?’”

Polanco took a few theater courses at Hunter, but after graduation pursued what she thought was a practical career in nursing. However, she continued to audition and eventually landed her breakout role, playing Dayanara Diaz in Orange Is the New Black. From there she was cast in supporting and leading roles in the films Joy (2015), The Irishman (2019), and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical In the Heights (2021). Roles in the television series Russian Doll (2019), The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (2018), and Poker Face (2023), are among her other credits.