A graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock got a boon in her acting career as she appeared in the sixth season premiere of the NBC crime drama, “The Blacklist.” 

Star Tapia (Starrena Williams) is a 2010 graduate of UA Little Rock with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication emphasizing media production and a bachelor’s degree in Spanish.

In her role in the Jan. 3 episode “Dr. Hans Koehler,” Tapia played a mother during a bank robbery. In the episode, Red Reddington (James Spader) presented the Task Force with a Blacklist case searching for a plastic surgeon who creates new identities for wanted criminals. Liz (Megan Boone) and her sister, Jennifer, (Fiona Dourif) secretly investigated the events that took place the night the real Reddington died.

Tapia started modeling at age 7. She graduated from Parkview Arts and Science Magnet High School, majoring in drama while also studying television production at Metropolitan Career-Technical Center. During this time, she played sports, recorded music, and took courses with Barbizon Modeling and Acting. During her undergrad studies, Star danced with the UA Little Rock Floor Rockers. She also began uploading videos on YouTube and participated in fashion shows and productions.

After graduating from college, Tapia moved to Dallas, where she continued to model and began dancing with the salsa team Mambo Dallas. After a year in Dallas, she moved to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where she volunteered as a backstage assistant for Dominicana Moda and Bridal Week. She also continued to dance salsa, practicing with local teams Fusion Latina and On2 Dance Studio. Tapia currently lives in New York City, where she completed her MBA and won the Plitzs January Emerging Model of the Year Competition in 2016.