While fifth-year World Arts and Cultures student Francine Maigue
may have been this year’s Homecoming “Royal
Bruin” Queen, it had little to do with how she ended up on
TV. Of all things, her experience as a Resident Assistant has
landed her a spot on Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC.
Maigue was selected to be the RA on ABC’s new reality
series “The Scholar,” which documents a competition
between 10 high school seniors trying to win a full scholarship to
the college of their choice. The students live in a house together
during the show, with Maigue doubling as their 11th roommate and
their RA.
“Basically, I was an RA just like I was here ““ I was
there to support them and make everyone feel welcome. I know how
important it is and how difficult it can be to balance out
one’s responsibilities as a student, whether you’re
taking classes or competing for scholarships,” Maigue
said.
Maigue refers to herself as an “ORL lifer,” as she
has been involved in the program from the very beginning of her
time at UCLA.
She began as her floor president, then served as De Neve
president, was an RA for two years, and is currently the assistant
resident director for Saxon Suites.
Maigue’s active involvement in the Office of Residential
Life is what gave her the opportunity to apply for the spot on
“The Scholar.”
“I had a phone and a camera interview, and then a couple
weeks later, I checked my voice mail during a break from the life
skills class I was a TA for, and there was a message telling me I
had been chosen to be the RA on “˜The Scholar’ and
asking if I was free to move in that night,” Maigue said.
While Maigue said the experience of having a camera crew follow
everyone around all day took a little bit of adjusting to, her
experience and confidence in her skills as an RA kept her
grounded.
“I just kept in mind that I wasn’t there to portray
any character because it’s reality TV ““ I was there to
be myself and the best RA I could for these scholars,” Maigue
said.
Many people would jump at the opportunity for their 15 minutes
of fame, but Maigue views the experience of being involved in the
show in a much different light.
“I saw it as a really great opportunity to represent all
the folks I’m so close with in residential life. I got to
bridge these two worlds that I’m so passionate about and in
love with ““ entertainment and residential life,” Maigue
said.
Though ORL has been an enormous part of Maigue’s UCLA
career, it is her passion for education and the performing arts
that she plans to focus on after graduation, having already
performed at the Kennedy and Lincoln Centers.
Ultimately, Maigue hopes to attend graduate school, earn her
Ph.D., and open a private academy for kindergarten through
12th-grade students whose curriculum would focus on the arts.
“It would be a school that uses the arts in every subject
matter, as a tool for effective communication and education.
I’m not a big fan of keeping subjects isolated. It’s
wonderful when you are able to use students’ imaginations to
assist them in understanding everything from art to science,”
Maigue said.
Maigue is well on her way to achieving this goal, having already
founded a program encouraging her students at the Mystic Stepper
School of Dance in San Diego to attend college. For her efforts,
Maigue was honored with numerous awards, including the
Distinguished Bruin and Charles E. Young Humanitarian awards.
“I want to show both the students and their parents that
you can pursue the arts in one’s university and professional
careers,” Maigue said.