By Isaac Gonzalez-Diaz
With clever and electric dance moves, third-year computer science major Kyan Lee took the Otter’s Got Talent finale by storm, winning first place and the $1,000 scholarship prize.
Associated Students (AS) also offered a $500 scholarship to the second-place participant Miss Fortune and a $250 scholarship to the third-place participant Hannah Rudolph.
“This is kind of a joint project between Student Engagement Leadership Development and Associated Students,” said Dan Burfeind – senior coordinator for student engagement and leadership development. “SELD is paying for a lot of the production costs in this space and AS is providing the scholarship money.”
Lee said he will use the scholarship money to pay for school expenses.
AS welcomed over 120 students into the OSU Ballroom on Sept. 18 to cheer and watch the finalists show off their best numbers.
“I really love dancing, and I like the ability to dance in front of people, said Lee. “I love having the opportunity to entertain people, that’s what I like to do.”
With a total of six performances at the show, from dancing to rapping and from singing to trumpet playing, the crowd was eager to see what each finalist had to offer.
The judges panel to the left of the OSU stage featured three new and some known faces: CSUMB mascot Monte Rey, OSU Director Jeff Rensel and Academic Outreach Specialist of the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Center (UROC) Eric Barajas.
Third year accounting major Skylar Walters, best known by her stage name Miss Fortune, engaged the crowd with her creative and unique singing and rapping rhymes – scoring her second-place.
“It’s pretty much like being able to honor my ancestors, talking about where I am from, and who I am as an artist and being able to show the audience that,” said Walters.
Another favorite performance from the night was first year music major and third-place finisher Hannah Rudolph, who serenaded the crowd with her shiny and beautiful voice backed by an instrumental version of “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele.
“I’m surprised that I made it. I was very nervous the entire time, so I am very grateful that I made it,” said Rudolph.
After a performance from the Foggy Otter Pep Band, a five-minute intermission was held for the judges to choose their top three. Judges brought the finalists onto the OSU Stage for a final ruling, to give the winners trophies and to award scholarships.
Annika Altman, fourth-year liberal studies major and event assistant, hopes the talent show becomes a recurring event on campus.
“I think it is really good for campus spirit, and I think that it is really fun to see all of our Otters perform,” said Altman. “It is really fun to see everyone’s special skills.”