Perpich News
Sheena (Dean) Jimmick (Theater 2006) Makes a Difference for Minnesota Youth
January 23, 2025

Sheena (Dean) Jimmick (Theater 2006)
Sheena (Dean) Jimmick (Theater 2006) is the database manager for Avenues for Youth where they partner with youth experiencing homelessness to help them achieve their dreams. When Sheena was a student at Columbia Heights High School, a drama director there told her about Perpich Arts High School. The path she took from Perpich to today wasn’t calculated by Sheena, but it has proven to be the right answer for her.
We caught up with Sheena to learn more about her life’s work and how Perpich impacted her journey.
Perpich – What can you tell us about your path since Perpich?
Jimmick – “I graduated in 2006 and was accepted into The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in LA but wasn’t able to attend due to family and financial issues. I continued acting in the Twin Cities, mostly doing “Rocky Horror” with some fellow Perpich alumni, but also some local productions, student films, and a couple of music videos. After about seven years, I decided that I still loved acting, but I didn’t love the work involved with making it anything more than a casual hobby. All of the networking and constant self-promotion was taking the fun out of it for me and I was looking to build a more stable life and start a family.
In 2014, I finally went to school with the vague plan of becoming a teacher, but I discovered that I have a gift for higher math. I decided to see where that took me and wound up earning a Bachelor of Science in Astrophysics with a minor in mathematics from the University of Minnesota, Class of 2020. My acting background gave me skills that no one else in my department had – namely the ability to memorize lots of complicated information quickly as well as being a gifted public speaker.
I was aiming to apply for NASA’s astronaut training program upon graduation, but I shattered my ankle in 2017 and had to pivot. I did my thesis with the Bell Museum and planned to go into science museum exhibit and planetarium programming and design, but I graduated right into Covid lockdowns when all of the museums were closed. Between Covid and living right near the George Floyd protests, I wanted to find a way to give back to the community, so I applied at Avenues. I didn’t expect it to turn into a career, but over four years later I am still here and still passionate about the work that we do. It’s a job that lets me use my skills to make a difference right here in Minnesota while also offering the flexibility to have a life outside of work. Right now, that life consists mostly of my family. I got married in 2015, had my son, Oliver, in 2018, and my daughter, Natalie, in 2022.“
Perpich – What was the experience of attending Perpich like for you?
Jimmick – “Perpich was an incredible experience for me. I felt like I finally found a place where I belonged. I got to explore things that I loved and I got so much out of it. Perpich genuinely saved my life, and I am endlessly grateful for my time there. Thank you all for everything you do. It’s a special place.”
Perpich – What are the connections to your arts high school experience and your current work?
Jimmick – “So many of the young people that come through Avenues are intensely creative and authentically themselves. Avenues accepts and encourages them, just as the teachers at Perpich did and do.”
Perpich – Are there any people or experiences that were particularly important that you’d like to mention?
Jimmick – “Tory [Peterson, Theater Instructor] was an incredible teacher who made a lifelong impact on me.”
Sheena (Dean) Jimmick (Theater 2006) grew up in Columbia Heights, Minnesota and attended Columbia Heights High School before attending Perpich.