Justine Figeroua
By Cheyanne Wilson
Co-Captain of the Color Guard team. Lead of the fall play. NYU. Justine Figueroa has big plans for her senior year. Not only does she have to help make executive decisions on the Color Guard team, she is also the lead, Elizabeth in the school’s fall play, Frankenstein. Justine is always running somewhere. It’s a wonder that she has anytime to visit her dream school, New York University.
Over the summer, Justine visited many places across the country. Justine spent majority of her summer in New York. All of her life Justine has dreamt about New York, dance, and theatre. It has always been a goal of hers to become a dancer. “She’s so full of life when she’s dancing.” says mother, Jacqueline Figueroa. “She likes to include that joy she feels when dancing into everyday life situations.”
The NYU campus takes up almost all of New York City. With more than 20 campuses across the Manhattan area, it’s an all day task. “I can’t decide what was my favorite, the Tisch theatre campus or the Washington Square campus.” says Justine. “Although, I would live at the theatre if I got the chance, I love the openness of the Washington Square campus and being surrounded by nature.”
Learning her lines for the school’s fall play, Frankenstein, is a tentative process. At first, she takes time to herself, going over the lines until she memorizes them. Then she finds a friend or family member to go over the lines with her. After she’s sure about the script, she dresses for the part and is ready for a big scene. Finally, she shows up to the audition with an attitude that she already knows the part is hers. It obviously worked because she is playing Elizabeth in the fall production, Frankenstein.
This Color Guard season, Justine and three other teammates have been chosen to represent the team as co-captains. The three team up and decide on practice times and important information that needs to get to the team, among other things. Justine incorporates her dance into her Color Guard work, whether she’s truly dancing for the crowd or just spinning her flag.
Justine is one of the sparkling students that lights up the hallways at MHS and we are lucky to have her talents and leadership gracing our student body. We wish her the best of luck on playing the lead in Frankenstein and on her senior year, and expect to see her name boldly in a future play bill!