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As Carmen on The George Lopez Show,  

Masiela Lusha

  is tackling many of the same ups and downs of teenage life as you are: Dealing with not--so--nice classmates, infatuation, and clashing with her parents. OK, so maybe you wouldn't ever run away and get caught up with rapper CHINGY and his crew. But when it comes to learning how to balance important stuff like school and studying with friends and fun, you can totally relate.

What will impress you is Masiela's real--life persona, the one who's not only an actress, but a poet, college student, hunger prevention spokesperson, and sweetheart. And boy does she know how to balance all that school and studying well.

Balancing a passion for acting with a full--time course load at UCLA isn't necessarily easy, even though Masiela may make it look that way. "I have two brains in my head - one for school and one specifically for work," explains the busy English major/business minor. And, the double dosage is working for her. She earned A's in the three classes she took last semester, and continues to find her "muse" in the most interesting of places - even on a set with funny man George Lopez. "He's a true comedian in that he knows how to always light up the mood," Masiela explains. "It really is like a family on set. Every single season we get closer and closer and we understand each other more."

So, you're up on Mas' character, admire her TV family, and can relate to her time--management challenges, but... what's a muse?! In intellectual speak, it means "to become absorbed in thought, reflect on something meditatively." For the multilingual star (she speaks German, French, and Albanian), it's about channeling creativity into an art form that encircles all that she is.

"I enrolled in college because it complements my work as an actress. It helps me read scripts and gain a deeper understanding," she explains. In Masiela's mind, "everything is tied together, based loosely and shaped on other great writers."

And, named the youngest author in the world to publish a book at age 12, and one of the top 10 talented poets in North America, Masiela already has "great writer" on what's becoming a growing list of accomplishments. Her poetry anthology is the result of the first time she seriously pondered her world.

"My muse came in Europe when I was on vacation with my mom. It was a whole new experience going back there [she is originally from Tirana, Albania]," says Masiela. After each discovery, she wrote a poem. At the prompting of her mom, Inner Thoughts was published in both English and Albanian in 1998.

"For me, writing is a passion," explains the now 18--year--old (she turns 19 this month). From that trip forward, whatever Masiela writes - a screenplay, poetry, parts of a novel, etc. - becomes an important element for self expression, she says. That's why in between memorizing her lines, rehearsals, and tapings, Masiela makes it a point to write twice a week.

"My muse carries me depending on the topic I'm studying at the time," she confides. "Now I'm into short stories and novels... I've written three chapters of a novel and some poetry, and I'm getting into Shakespeare."

Heady stuff for an actress who's also a spokesperson for The Great American Bake Sale, a hunger--relief program that is raising awareness and funds to fight child hunger in the United States.

Of course, she's not always so in control. When she went to her prom last May, she was as nervous as a kindergarten student on the first day at school.

Masiela and a friend headed to her old school in Michigan for the prom, but got so caught up taking pictures that when they finally got there everyone was sitting down having dinner.

"So there's everyone in a black gown, and here I come with this bright red dress on loan from ABC," recalls Masiela. "I ducked my head and had my friends encircle me." You wouldn't think a big--time TV star would let a couple of looks rattle her, but she got so nervous, she couldn't even eat. "My hands were shaking because everyone was staring," she says.

Her prom experience is more than a fun story. Masiela plans to preserve the memory in her writing. "I want to use the experience maybe when I experiment with a script, or for a story..."

So now that high school and prom are behind her, and she lives in the UCLA universe, how does she go from set to school? "I force myself into my studies. I haveto concentrate, otherwise I'd lose focus," explains the self--professed "scatterbrain."

It also helps to have classes you enjoy, and encouraging friends, she adds. "Once I went to college and got to pick my classes, I geared up and started getting all A's," says Masiela. And with the family--like cast on The George Lopez Show - "everyone is supportive, which takes a whole load off my back" - Masiela can make doing it all look easy.

Of course, it's all about "taking one step, one day, one class at a time," she shares.

"Force yourself to concentrate and let that guide you," she says. "If you focus and tell yourself, 'I can do this,' then you can."

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