Four singers, two dancers, musicians and spoken word # the USFSP’s Got Talent illustrated the remarkable diversity and talent of 10 skilled students who brought their abilities to the University Student Center ballroom stage Wednesday night.
As a part of the USFSP Week event lineup, the show was dedicated to showcasing the excellence among students at the university. The event was put on by the USF St. Petersburg Multicultural Activities Council, Office of Multicultural Affairs and Harborside Activities Board.
Judges Kay Riggins from student affairs, Vaishali Gakhar, employee relations coordinator of the career center, and Dr. Gardiner “Tuck” Tucker assessed each performance based on specific criteria like showmanship and technical ability.
Eduardo Lozada won third place with an original, intimate spoken word performance about his personal experiences, hardships and outlook on life. Every few verses were met with applause.
Jordan Palavra and Donique Dillon came in second place as the only contestants to pair up and perform as a duo. Dressed in dapper suits, Palavra and Dillon seated themselves at the keyboard and drum kit respectively, and worked out an upbeat, jazzy song with ease.
Ashlyn Bigley closed the show with her rendition of a broadway tune, completely winning the judges over, coming in first place. Her stage presence was brilliant as she moved about the room and connected with the audience, especially during the spoken parts of the song. She appeared to be a natural performer and her singing abilities were on par with the Disney princesses.
The other contestants were welcomed with equal praise from the audience, some even getting on their feet to cheer and applaud.
Alan Mansour opened up the show with a seamless electronic dance. Arin Hurd sang a beautiful cover of Celine Dion’s “Because You Loved Me.” Jonah King shared an original rap song about how the best of his career is ahead of him. Choya Randolph sang “Stay” by Rihanna and played the keyboard to accompany her vocals. The audience clapped to the rhythm of Selena Gomez while Aby Search stole the show with a fun dance routine. Keonna Gilmore brought out every emotion in her cover of John Legend’s “All of Me” as the third vocal performance of the night.
