One eccentric emcee, one masked judge and more than 300 audience members filled Memorial Hall with applause Friday for the “Seniors Got Talent” show.
With 10 acts, the event showcased senior talent to help fund local service projects and promote senior class unity.
The performances, most of which involved music, included an acoustic guitar player, a number of piano acts and a bilingual freestyle rapping duo.
During an intermission, Senior Class President Meggie Staffiera and Vice President Sebastian Williams announced that the focus of this year’s senior gift will be support for UNC Libraries. Seniors are encouraged to donate money to the libraries, but are allowed to donate to any aspect of campus they choose.
The show’s winners were senior Aisha Amuda and junior Olivia Myrick, who performed the song “Take Me or Leave Me” from the musical “Rent.”
Three judges — Student Body President Jasmin Jones, Ramses and a random senior — selected the winners.
UNC men’s basketball player Marcus Ginyard was supposed to be the third judge but was unable to attend.
To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.
Amuda said she was anxious because she had not performed since high school.
“I was so nervous and so surprised that I won. This is something I will definitely always remember,” she said.
Staffiera said the show exceeded her expectations.
“Most of the performers had never even performed before,” she said. “The amount of talent completely blew us away.”
Other performers also said they enjoyed representing the senior class.
“It was such an amazing experience, especially to perform on such a big stage where so many other key players have performed,” said senior Alek Deva, who sang and played piano with a sophomore guitar player.
The night closed with a guest performance by the UNC Clef Hangers, an all-male a cappella group. Other guest performances included dance groups Bhangra Elite and Carolina Vibe.
Performer Y.J. Chang said the event will remain a meaningful part of his UNC experience.
“I am glad that I got the opportunity to share this with everyone,” he said. “This is my last semester here, and I will remember this forever.”
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
