Brendan Latronica captivated the crowd at the Otters Got Talent finals with an organic instrumental performance, earning him the event’s $1,000 first-place scholarship.
The Sept. 23 final brought the six finalists before a crowd of 172 – nearly twice as many from the preliminary round on Sept. 9.
The second-and third-place winners, Jackie Martinez and Sofia Navarro, received scholarships of $500 and $250.
Otters Got Talent is a contest hosted by CSUMB and put on by the Otter Student Union (OSU), where students have the opportunity to win scholarships by showcasing their unique skills. The judges for the finale include: Eric Barajas, an Outreach Specialist, Jeffrey Rensel, the director of the OSU and Robyn DoCanto, an Ottercare Hub Coordinator.
“It’s going to be really important for these six performances to show us some originality,” said Rensel. “We’re looking for a stage presence, attitude and how they are interacting with the crowd we’ve got gathered here today.”
While holding his giant $1,000 check, Latronica expressed excitement in having the chance to display his 10 years of playing guitar to a broader audience and to invest the money into a personal pleasure of his.
“I’m actually really into studio recording, even though it’s not a part of my major, it’s kind of my hobby. And I’m in desperate need of some new microphones,” said the third-year agriculture plant and soil science student..
The competition also encouraged him to create new material, as he said it “really put me in the zone,” writing his songs two weeks before each performance.
For Martinez, the event offered an opportunity to revisit a song that was a part of her childhood. The third-year psychology major described singing “No Llego El Olivido” for the final round as a “full circle moment for me.”
“Singing this as a kid and then doing it now in college you know, because when am I ever going to do this again?” said Martinez.
The third place winner, Navarro, and her song choice came from another place. The third-year film studies student chose to cover Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” because of her familiarity with its chords and melody.
Avery Kim, a freshman in Marine Science and an attendee, shared how they grounded their vote on, “Is the song in their voice range? How invested are they in their own song? As long as you love your song, I’ll just base it off of that.”
Despite each performer approaching the competition differently, Barajas said the decision to step on stage was an accomplishment itself.
“The fact that they’re up here shows tremendous courage and bravery to be in front of your peers, it’s really the Otter way. It’s really what makes this raft so powerful.”
