Juilliard Trained, South Bronx Made: How Zulaika Velazquez Is Transforming Uptown Kids Through the Arts | Uptown Voices

What does it look like when someone takes everything life threw at them — homelessness, single motherhood at 19, a stage two cancer diagnosis — and turns it into fuel to transform an entire community?Meet Zulaika Velazquez.In this episode of Uptown Voices, Led Black and Octavio Blanco sit down with one of Northern Manhattan's most extraordinary educators, directors, and community builders. Zulaika is a South Bronx native, Juilliard-trained, and the woman who produced In the Heights at George Washington High School — with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jon M. Chu, and Warner Brothers in the audience. But this conversation goes far deeper than theater.🎭 DISTRICT 6 SHOWCASE — MAY 29TH AT UNITED PALACE750 students, K–12, from 37 schools. Free, open to the public. Art exhibit from 4 PM, performances 5–7 PM. The only district-wide production of its kind in the country.🏫 THERE ARE NO BAD KIDSWhy labeling schools and students ignores the real story — underfunded classrooms, overcrowded schools, and kids reacting to their circumstances. Change the resources, change the outcomes.🌎 ARTS AS LANGUAGE ACQUISITIONKids who didn't speak a word of English performed a full two-hour production in English at United Palace by year's end. The method works.🎬 IN THE HEIGHTS AT GWWhile on chemo, Zulaika produced In the Heights at GW with a 250-person waiting list. Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jon M. Chu, and Bette Midler's team were in the house. It made Oprah Magazine.🎓 GETTING UPTOWN KIDS INTO SPECIALIZED HIGH SCHOOLSWhy performing arts schools are harder to get into than Stuyvesant — and how to level the playing field.🤖 ARTS IN THE AGE OF AIWhy humanities, critical thinking, and storytelling are the skills AI can't replace.🗳️ CIVIC EDUCATION IN THE CLASSROOMHow Zulaika navigates politics with students — research the platforms, register to vote, understand why local elections matter most.📌 [email protected]⏱️ CHAPTERS00:00 There Are No Bad Kids — Opening Statement01:08 Welcome & Subscribe Reminder02:06 Introducing Zulaika Velazquez04:12 District 6 Showcase at United Palace05:27 750 Students K–12: The Scale of It06:19 Respecting Every Artist's Work07:41 The Jukebox Musical Format Explained08:12 The Only Production of Its Kind Nationwide09:05 How It Started in 201710:46 Free & Open to the Public — May 29th Details12:10 From South Bronx to Juilliard14:12 Opera, Word Painting & Why She Left Classical17:38 Vagina Monologues in Spanish & Arts as Activism18:05 Language Acquisition Through Musical Theater19:01 Full English Musical With Non-English Speakers20:06 Getting Uptown Kids Into Specialized High Schools22:01 Theater as Community Space at GW22:20 In the Heights at George Washington High School35:08 Stage Two Cancer & the Kids Who Showed Up37:00 Warner Brothers, Lin-Manuel Miranda & Jon M. Chu39:35 Oprah Magazine & Breaking the Internet40:57 Latin Grammy Foundation & $40K in Instruments42:50 LaGuardia vs. GW: The Real Competition46:20 Arts in the Age of AI47:07 Saving Lives: Newly Arrived Students & Changed Trajectories48:09 When the System Fails Newly Arrived Students52:28 Student Strikes, Civic Power & Social Activism56:28 How to Get Teenagers to Listen58:00 The NYC Subway Metaphor for Life01:02:20 Students, Trump, Andrew Tate & Open Conversations01:05:51 Research the Platforms, Register to Vote01:08:54 The Student Who Was Homeless & Became Pro-Trump01:09:31 Making Better Human Beings Through Art01:10:29 How to Reach Zulaika & May 29th Details🎙️ The Uptown Collective documents the culture, community, and voices that make Northern Manhattan one of the most extraordinary places in the world.▶️ SUBSCRIBE: https://youtube.com/@uptowncollective?si=68xPv3IIxHrhJ2BQ🔔 Hit the bell. Like. Share. It costs nothing and means everything.❤️ SUPPORT UPTOWN VOICES — TAX DEDUCTIBLEThe Uptown Collective Podcast is a fiscally sponsored project of the Maysles Documentary Center — your contribution is 100% tax-deductible.👉 Donate: https://bit.ly/4eddiWT📺 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBmbtE4yILFqSWCJtf2Day6NBwHp2FYkUSpread love — it's the Uptown way. 💙