HARLINGEN — Julie Ng-Castillo stays busy.
Her schedule is filled with activities, and her involvement in the Cameron County community has allowed her to expand in different fields.
Ng-Castillo is the vice president of the Harlingen Concert Association, a nonprofit and all-volunteer organization focused on enriching cultural life in Harlingen through live performances.
“We usually have about five to six concerts during our season. I am the chair for the education outreach. I coordinate programs in conjunction with the artist who comes down for our concerts,” she said.
Ng-Castillo has been doing these outreach programs for more than five years. But this is just one of the many activities involved in her weekly schedule.
She is also a Pilates instructor at My Body Pilates, located at 202 W. Monroe in Downtown Harlingen. She has been an instructor for a year and a half but began practicing more than three years ago.
Ng-Castillo had hurt herself from dancing and decided to do low impact exercise. She did not have the intention to teach Pilates but began a 500 hour program to gain a more in-depth understanding of the workout method.
“I thought if I ended up liking it and thought I could be a good teacher, that is just the path I ended up on,” she said.
Besides being a Pilates instructor, Ng-Castillo is also a musical lover.
Currently, she is performing at the Camille Playhouse in Brownsville in the “Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” musical. Ng-Castillo will be performing for three more shows this upcoming weekend.
“It has been so much fun to be able to sing and dance and work with a team of wonderful cast members,” she said.
This is her fourth musical.
Ng-Castillo was not a part of theater in high school but decided to join because her daughter performed in a musical years ago.
“I love dancing, and I had missed dancing. Once you do one show, you can’t stop, kind of like when you eat one potato chip. Once a year, I try to audition for a show,” she said.
Though she said she enjoys every activity, handling the outreach programs has got to be her favorite.
“I love to expose children to different types of music. I think that is really rewarding. We also started a scholarship program for high school seniors where we awarded three scholarships three months ago,” she said.
“They will be pursuing their studies in fine arts, and that is something we have been trying to build for a few years. And it is so exciting to finally see it happen,” Ng-Castillo said.
Though it sounds as if she already does a lot, she is also the front of house manager at Laurel Park Bistro.
She is also on the executive board for CWCMA-NC, which is the Cameron Willacy County Medical Alliance Northern Chapter. This is a nonprofit organization of physicians’ spouses dedicated to improving the health and safety of the community.
“We have provided resources to different organizations in the community and also scholarships to nursing students with financial need,” she said.
Ng-Castillo speaks humbly of everything she does, but her booked agenda demonstrates her love of Cameron County, as well as her loyalty.
