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�鶹Ӱ�� graduate Domonique Foster discovered her singing voice when she was 8. She now shares her musical gift regularly to thousands as a singer for Norwegian Cruise Line.

When Foster graduated from �鶹Ӱ�� with her Associate in Arts degree in 2014, she planned to transfer to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to become a dental hygienist. At one point, she juggled three jobs.

A yearning for something more started to grow.

Music had always been a part of her, from the time she was a young girl singing in church to the time she was a young woman singing in high school.

A �鶹Ӱ�� native, Foster also longed to see the places and meet the people that existed beyond her hometown.

Foster had a couple of friends who were cruise ship performers. After talking to them and her friends and family, Foster gathered her earnings as a wedding band singer and traveled to Miami to audition for a cruise line, as reported by .

Two months passed when Foster got the call. She had been hired as a cruise ship singer. Finally, she had her chance to fulfill her dream of singing while traveling the world.

Fast forward three years to now, Foster has visited around 15 countries and performs for a crowd of more than 1000 people a few times a week while on tour.

“I’m driven by the impact that I have on the audience,” she said. “To see people smile, cry, laugh, whatever emotion that exudes from them, lets me know that I did my job in entertaining and inspiring them.”

Her favorite places she’s been to so far are Madeira, Spain, and Florence, Italy.

“I’ve been to so many places that I found interesting,” she said. “(The other performers and I) meet lots of people on our journeys and create lifelong friendships with other crew members.”

Foster works six to eight months at a time, depending on the contract. Between those times, she visits �鶹Ӱ��.

While she was at �鶹Ӱ��, Foster worked with Jennifer Bennett, Student Communications Coordinator, and Isaac Thomas, former Student Development Specialist. While with Bennett, Foster supported first-time students during the enrollment process.

“I truly enjoyed working with them and the department,” Foster said. “Understanding the compassion and importance in setting the tone for first-time students played a huge role in my life.

�鶹Ӱ�� really pushed me to go beyond what I felt I was capable of doing, speaking from both an academic and life perspective.”

Bennett said Foster was a tremendous addition to her staff.

“Domonique had the perfect combination – a vibrant smile that made everyone walking through our doors feel welcomed, and the knowledge of and passion for �鶹Ӱ�� to help others on their own path to success,” Bennett said.

In addition to performing on the cruise line, Foster produces her own music and runs a travel Instagram page.

“I have truly loved watching her grow into the professional that she is today, living her dream and experiencing the world around her while still making everyone around her smile,” Bennett said. “That is what we hope for all of our students, and I cannot wait to see the future that awaits her.”

For more on Foster, visit her on Instagram, and , and check out her first single “In My Bed” on .

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Related:

• �鶹Ӱ�� alumnus lands Portland acting apprenticeship: June 25, 2019

Contact Stephanie Turner, Marketing and Media Relations Coordinator, at turners@durhamtech.edu for more.