Rising Stars Shine Bright This Summer

9/10/2025

Two middle school students proved that passion doesn’t take a summer vacation.

Eighth grader Eli Goldfine headed west to Astronomy Camp, a program hosted by the University of Arizona alumni association, at Mount Lemmon near Tucson. Goldfine, who serves on the Westchester Amateur Astronomers board, had the opportunity to operate research-class telescopes and expand his understanding of the skies above.

“My favorite part was going to Mount Bigelow to see the 61-inch Kuiper telescope because we also had a speaker there whose name is David Levy,” Goldfine shared. “In the ’90s, he discovered this comet Shoemaker Levy-9, which actually was a comet that crashed into Jupiter's surface, and it was a big news story at the time.”

Goldfine described seeing the Saturn Nebula as another highlight: “It looks like a small bluish ball with some areas that are brighter and some that are darker. The edges are a little more nebulous, and there's like a faint ring shape around it, which is why it's called the Saturn Nebula.”

Since returning to school, Goldfine has been working on building a telescope with the laser-cutting and CNC equipment in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center. He is looking forward to attending an upcoming Westchester Amateur Astronomers event at the Dobbs Ferry Public Library on October 27.

Back in New York, seventh grader Mina Coquillot danced her way through the summer at The Dance Theatre of Harlem's summer intensive program.

The accomplished performer, who has shared her dancing talents with the Masters community in the Middle School Talent Showcase, enjoyed studying ballet, modern, African, yoga and Afrobeats this summer.

“We danced at different levels depending on your ability,” she said. “And, we had performances every week on Friday that our friends and family were allowed to come and watch.”

Coquillot added, “What I love most about dancing is the feeling of joy and freedom. Joy being around people I know and getting to learn and grow with them, and the feeling of freedom being able to ask questions and speak up if you need help, and also pushing myself to strive to do better.”