MHS graduate Deveaux Riggs leaves mark on community with Spotlight Studio

Emilia McLeod, Social Media Editor

As is with any high school, at MHS, many students come and go, leaving their mark on the school and then the world. Alumna Deveaux Riggs is one of these students. 

Graduating in 2010, Riggs was very active in the Drama Club, Teen Outreach Theatre, and had roles in musicals each of her four years of high school. She mentions that teacher Sue Sacks was the brightest part of her high school journey, even as she battled with her chronic illness, and as a result, was forced to do much from home. 

After leaving high school, she said she “dipped her toes” into MCCC, eventually deciding to attend the Douglas J Aveda Institute of Ann Arbor. This is where This path was found in starting an all-inclusive musical theatre studio and entertainment venue, called Spotlight Studio. Located in downtown Monroe, the company will be celebrating its five-year anniversary this spring. Among their accomplishments are 15 youth productions, nine full-length musicals, five themed musical revues, four fully digital original productions, three straight plays, two singing competitions, and the first full-length movie musical in Monroe County. With this type of list, they are sure to live up to their goal: to give everyone their chance to be in the spotlight. 

In addition to performances, Spotlight Studio also offers camps, classes, private lessons, birthday parties, pageant coaching, studio rentals, and four additional specialty instructors. All of this comes with the help of Rigg’s creative partner, Nathan Kubik. 

While owning Spotlight seems to be Rigg’s greatest accomplishment, she also notes her successful social media presence on Tiktok, position as a brand ambassador for Plato’s Closet, side “closet sale” business, and frequent trips to Disney as a self-proclaimed “Disney Adult.”

While Riggs said that her high school experience was not a “normal” one, she expresses that those years taught her to take advantage of every opportunity, because “life doesn’t hand out many second chances.” 

As her advice to graduating seniors, she said “do what you love, no matter how difficult that may be. There are many options out there, don’t listen to others on what you need to do in order to be ‘successful’, listen to your heart. I live my dream life every day, no college degree required.”