Vanessa

Vanessa is Usnavi's love interest who works at Daniela's salon. She is stunningly beautiful and catches the eye of every guy in the Washington Heights (she is described as 'the loveliest girl in this place,' by Usnavi), however she takes interest in Usnavi. She lives with an alcoholic mother and dreams of getting out of the barrio and getting an apartment downtown, but cannot yet afford it. Vanessa is 19 years old. In the original cast, she is played by Karen Olivo. She’s Latina/mixed.