Three Harlingen students perform at Noche de Gala in Washington

HARLINGEN — It was a chance of a lifetime for three young ladies.

Those three young ladies — Azeneth Corrales, Karla Rivera and Madelynn Gonzalez — are all 18 years old, and already they’ve met some of the biggest Hispanic names in the Hollywood scene.

“It was a surreal experience,” said Azeneth Corrales, a senior at Harlingen High School. She and Karla and Madelynn had just returned from Washington, D.C. where they had performed at the Noche de Gala 2025 presented by the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts.

The three women sang 30 minutes of cocktail music for all the participants, and then followed up with solos and duets, said Christopher Esparza, Harlingen High School Theatre and Speech Director.

“It was a whole performance showcasing their talents in the RGV, showing that Latinx talent is alive and well here,” Esparza said.

They were the only three “artists in residence” who performed at the gala.

The Noche de Gala was the closing celebration of the 2025 Visioning Summit: Mission Impossible on Sept. 15 which celebrated the contributions by Latino artists to the Nations Arts and Culture.

Among the big names the three women met and spoke with were Esai Morales of “Mission Impossible” and “La Bamba” fame and Jimmy Smits from “In The Heights” and “N.Y.P.D. Blue.”

Morales and Smits made quite an impression on the three women.

“It was amazing just to meet them and honestly how humble they were and knowing they are big people in this industry,” said Madelynn, who just graduated from St. Joseph’s Academy in Brownsville.

“They gave us very inspiring words as well,” she said. “It was very nice to speak with them.”

Azeneth spoke with a sort of stream of consciousness exuberance of what she’d experienced.

“The amount of people that were there, the amount of influence that was there, the things we got to see, the things we got to do…” she said.

The three young ladies were nominated to perform in Washington by the Palm Awards, an organization which actively promotes high school theatre productions in the Rio Grande Valley, Esparza said.

“The three students who qualified were all discovered at the RGV Palm Awards,” he said. “The Palm Awards is in partnership with the National Hispanic Foundation of the Arts, and every year they’ve chosen students in Harlingen which is just incredible.”

Karla, who just graduated from Harlingen High School South, said it was a memorable experience in many ways. Not only did she meet Morales and Smits and other notable Latino figures, she also was able to explore Washington, D.C.

“I had never been to D.C., so that was a great time,” she said. “I got to see the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument. Just getting to go up there and represent my heritage is what I think really stood out, and getting to perform with two talented young women.”

Karla and Madelynn are both in college pursuing studies in the performing arts. Azeneth is in her senior year at Harlingen High School.

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