Cal State Monterey Bay’s (CSUMB) annual Otterlands Festival brought students together for a night of music, creativity and community on Friday, March 22. About 75 CSUMB students and their guests from other campuses eagerly gathered in the Divarty Quad for some pre-show Otterland activities. Some students set up hammocks to relax while listening to student-run bands, while others lined up for face painting, food trucks or a portrait drawn of them and their friends.
A celebration of student creativity and collaborative effort from the Associate Students Club and Otter Media created an upbeat, festival-like atmosphere for students to enjoy before the main event at 7 p.m. in the Otter Student Union. Amber Dimassimo, a third-year kinesiology student and Associated Students member opened up about the process for setting up the show.
“It took about four hours for us to get the main stage setup,” Dimassimo said. This was her third year helping with the setup of Otterlands. “We’ve been planning this year’s show since October. I’m super happy to see it all come together and be running so smoothly!”
The main show opened with two student performers, Devere and Miss Fortune. Devere kept the energy upbeat and playful, even calling up students onstage to play air hockey during his set. Meanwhile, Miss Fortune, also known as Skylar Walters – a third-year business administration major focusing on accounting – pumped up the energy with her crowd work getting students to sing along and participate in a little call and response. Asking the audience to yell, “Yeah, Miss Fortune!” before performing upbeat songs like “SNIP SNIP!”
“I wear many hats as a performer, artist, actor and singer. I wouldn’t be able to do it all without my man Earl Sgambati, though. He’s my muse, partner and photographer,” Walters said.
A performer since she was 2, Walters lifted the audience’s energy, captivating their attention and expertly getting the crowd to match her excitement throughout her set.
“My favorite part about performing is getting to inspire and connect with all the women, theys and gays in the audience,” Walters said after her set. “I hope my music encourages people to quit living in their past and reconnect to their own inner power!”
Closing the show, Amaria took the stage as the night’s headliner, making a stop on her California tour debuting her new album “Free Fallin.” She walked on stage asking, “What’s up Otters!” Taking moments between songs to chat with the audience inquiring about what we all were studying.
“I dropped out of college, so you all are so smart for sticking it out,” she said. “Before I dropped out, I was majoring in communications. What are some of your majors out there?” Garnering excited cheers of students sharing their studies, all feeling heard and seen by Amaria taking interest in individuals in the crowd. Amaria also had a surprise unreleased song, that she performed for the first time ever for the student crowd, giving all the Otters a special moment to say they were there and heard it first!
Megan Clarke, Gianni Juarez and Franny Thorsted – third-year transfer students majoring in environmental science – danced along to Amaria’s set with Maddie Shore, who attends Scripps College. They all shared the sentiment around “how great the production was!” Expressing how they will definitely all attend Otterlands in the future. Even Shores shared, “I’d for sure make the trip back for more events like this!”
