Time Out with Ellen Toscano (Justin-Siena 2000 graduate)

Vince D’Adamo: What did you enjoy most about competing in athletics throughout your life?

Ellen Toscano: I enjoyed being part of a team and everything that entails -- working together to achieve a goal, using everyone's individual strengths and gifts as a unit to create something even stronger, learning to communicate with individuals from all different backgrounds, etc.  I also met some of my very best friends through playing sports, which is priceless. I loved being active my whole life - keeping my body strong and flexible and healthy - this is something I have always continued and I believe being active in sports my whole life is a big reason why.

D’Adamo: What have you been doing since graduating from high school?

Toscano: I moved to New York City where I received a drama major and music minor at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. I was going to play volleyball there, but my acting studio wouldn't allow me to as I would miss too many Friday studio days to travel, and acting school was the reason I was in New York. It was a bummer, but how it had to be. After graduating college in 2005, I got hired as one of the 10 stars in "Beach Blanket Babylon" in San Francisco where I've gotten to sing at Giants games (including the World Series in 2014), perform for Nancy Pelosi AS Nancy Pelosi, meet and become friends with the comedian John Cleese, and meet some of my closest friends who have become family. I moved from SF back to beautiful Sonoma in 2009. I've been performing in BBB for the last 10 years, but recently gave my notice - I'll be hanging up my hats on October 1 and couldn't be more excited and happy to be making this change. While acting had always been part of my past, I have found that the theatre world is no longer the best fit for me. I will of course continue to sing, as I love music, and that will be more of my focus instead of theatre. I've been performing the last couple years in my boyfriend's zydeco band T-Luke & the Tight Suits where I sing and play tambourine and washboard.  

I'm looking forward to being able to perform more with the band, and perhaps starting my own.  I also started my own business just over a year ago that has been thriving rapidly - I feel very blessed.  I joined the doctors that created Proactiv in their new skincare line that will be their legacy company - it's called Rodan+Fields.  We work a lot as a team in my business, so having been in sports, I am very familiar with how that works and have been conditioned to be a good team leader.  

D’Adamo: What was your favorite class at Justin-Siena High?

Toscano: I really loved Human Physiology with Mrs. Berkmeyer.  The human body fascinates me.  I also loved Honors Algebra II & Pre-Calculus with Mrs. DiGiacamo - not only was she an incredible math teacher, but math is like a puzzle that you have to figure out and I really love that.  Plus it's the same in every language I also loved my leadership class because almost all of my best friends were in that class and we got to call the shots for a lot of things. Apparently I really love being a leader.

D’Adamo: What was your favorite athletic moment at Justin-Siena High?

Toscano: My favorite Athletic Moment at JSHS would have to be when I got my first big KILL against Vintage High when I was a Freshman on the Varsity team.  I'll never forget hitting that ball so hard that I knocked over one of the players on the other team.  There were so many, but that one really stands out.  

D’Adamo: How much do you feel you have grown personally since graduating from high school and how much of that do you trace to athletics?

Toscano: I have grown tremendously as a person since graduating from high school.  I've become much more confident and comfortable in my own skin and not afraid to ask for what I want or need.  In high school, my basketball coach Mark Dunn would always say "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."  That is so true in life too and I have brought that into my adult life especially being involved in the entertainment business and my own business - essentially, if you don't ask, the answer will always be "No" so you might as well ask.  I'm taking a lot of shots now and definitely make more than expected

D’Adamo: Within your family, who have been the most influential people?

Toscano: It's really hard to just choose one family member. I'm Italian and very close to all of my family members.  My parents have been incredible examples of what unconditional love means and 100% supportive of me, and my siblings in everything that we do. They both taught me that I can do anything I put my mind to and work hard at - they believe in me so much that it taught me to believe in myself.  My sister Lindsay is someone I've always looked up to - she was a star athlete and straight A student in high school as well, and she set a great example of what I wanted to be like. She's also very strong and not afraid to ask for what she wants - it took me a while to get there, but luckily I had her as an example to toughen me up.  

My brother Eric is one of the happiest, most compassionate and fair people that I know - he's also very proud of his little sisters and his Italian heritage - he's taught me so much about appreciation and gratitude and not taking life too seriously.  All of my grandparents were amazing people, but if I had to just choose one to talk about right now (I'd be happy to talk about them all & how they've each influenced me!), I would have to pick my Grandma June.  She was an actress in Hollywood, a singer, dancer, and percussion player too - so we always had a very special connection as I was the only grandchild to pursue entertainment.  

She was also one of the most spiritual, loving, equanimous people I've ever met.  I never heard her say a negative word about anyone or complain about anything - even toward the end of her life when she was in immense pain.  She was the definition of beauty - from the inside out, and that's how she lived.  

I've got to briefly touch on my other grandparents too.  I'm blessed with an incredible family.  My Grandpa Gee Gee (June's husband) was a legend - he was hilarious and a very strong business man, but a big softy at heart.  I think about him a lot now that I own my own business and try to think "What would the Geeg do?" My Nonnie Nora is probably the strongest woman I know - she's almost 91 - was the city clerk & treasurer in Sonoma for 30+ years - a very hard worker, who has passed down that trait to several of her family members.  She would come to all of my volleyball & basketball games in high school and was my biggest cheerleader.  My Nonno Berto taught me that it's never  too late to grow - he was a WWII vet & purple heart hero.  He never talked about his experiences in the war and as a result, suffered severe migraines and was actually quite grumpy for most of his life.  About 10 years ago or so, he started opening up about his experiences, and as soon as he was able to talk about them and let them go, he became so much softer.  He told us often that he loved us these last 10+ years which, we knew he did, but just never really said before.  His family was the most important thing to him and he was SO proud of all of us.  I've never seen anyone grow so much at such an old age.  He passed away last August at 93.  All of these people have taught me the importance of family and how to truly love.

D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports you would most like to meet.

Toscano:  Lucille Ball.  And Buddha.