NSU’s Got Talent will be held on March 29 and 30 at 7 p.m. on the Athletics and Student Affairs patio, located directly next to the Mailman-Hollywood building. NSU’s Got Talent, the university’s version of the NBC television hit series of the same name, showcases the hidden talents of NSU students in a game show platform.
This year’s hosts will be Ebony Griffin, RadioX DJ, and Alex Wise, the second place winner of NSU’s 2011 Last Shark Standing, a comedy competition held last semester.
Janissa Santos, freshman psychology major, said she is looking forward to seeing her fellow students’ hidden talents.
“I had a friend who participated before and he said it was a fun experience and was one of the best times he had at NSU,” Santos said.
Sean Pepin, assistant director of Student Activities, said the students of Brad Williams, vice president of Student Affairs’s, leadership class are responsible for recruiting participants for the competition, while Student Activities coordinates the logistics of the event.
Lindsey Goldstein, sophomore education major, who participated in the event last year, said, “I performed ‘Loser like Me’ with the Hillel group last year. I never thought that I would be in a talent competition, but surprisingly I had an amazing time. We didn’t make it to finals, but we showed our shark pride and received fin points for our organization.”
Students are encouraged to participate for a chance to win prizes. The first place prize is $1000, second place is $500, and third place is $250. Additionally, student clubs and organizations receive Fin Points for participation.
Haskell, said, “We will have four judges, three being students and one professional staff, but, the names will not be given out so that [participants] cannot persuade them ahead of time to influence their vote.”
Lesa Phillips, assistant to the vice president of Student Affairs, has judged the competition for the past three years, but will not be returning as a judge this year. She said she enjoyed doing it in the past.
“I unintentionally became the Paula [Abdul] of the judges because I was the type of judge who wanted to be honest, but in a way that didn’t crush their spirit because it’s challenging to perform before hundreds of students,” said Phillips.
Last year, nearly 200 people attended the event and the Student Activities expects a similar or increased turnout. Free refreshments will be served.
For more information on NSU’s Got Talent, visit the Student Activities office on the first floor of the Don Taft University Center or call (954) 262-7288.
