Honors students might be perceived as classic book worms, but the honors variety show is the chance to prove the stigma wrong at the night when academic excellence is replaced by other talents.
Sophomore Vinnie Kew has been playing the guitar since he was eight and said honors students should live balanced lives beyond academic pursuits.
“Honors students are about more than just studying. We do much more than what our classes require of us and many of us lead exciting and adventurous lives. I’ve chosen to expand my talents beyond the books and into an eight-hundred dollar piece of wood with six strings,” said Kew.
Freshmen Carole Hurst and Tamara Pouliot agree that honors students need an outlet from various commitments and expectations. The two will be performing a guitar and vocal duet, with Carole playing the bongos.
“It gives us a chance to take a break from all our hard classes and show people that we’re fun and more than just smart,” said Carole.
Also performing a guitar and vocal duet are freshmen Kimberly Curcuru and Ashlyn Chambers. They saw that the honors show gives busy honors students the chance to do what they want.
“It’s cool because you can still pursue the things that you love doing without being involved in a huge commitment,” said Chambers.
Students are encouraged to come and support their fellow classmates, and perhaps be surprised by the unknown talents the honors kids have to offer.
This will be sophomore Jack Herman’s second year performing. Only this year he will be doing a cello solo as opposed to the typical guitar performance. Herman hopes people will come out to support his and others’ talents.
“A lot of the performers are putting a lot of work into this, and if no one is there then it will be lame. Being in the honors program, we work on really hard majors that don’t allow a lot of outlets to showcase other talents other than academic. This is one of the few activities that allow that,” said Herman.
Chuck Van, social chairmen of the honors programming board, has been responsible for running auditions and gathering and coordinating all the acts. Beyond the duty of his position, Van enjoys discovering talent.
“I get to meet a lot of new people and scout out talent of people that I would normally not talk to. I think the performers have a lot of talent. I’m jealous because I have no musical talent whatsoever,” said Van.
Van believes the shows can be a learning experience for everyone involved.
“It’s nice for the honors kids to break out of their barrier because most come from the stereotypical background that they do things by themselves. They get to get out of their shells and to learn more about themselves and their fellow students,” said Van.
In addition to entertainment, the show will be a night of giving. The audience will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite performer by putting money in a bucket; the proceeds go to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
“The money goes to help people in need because that is what it is used for instead of sitting in our change jars or being spent on things for the weekend festivities. It is something to do on a weekday night to get away from studying that’s free. It also can be used as an honors cultural event and it’s fun to attend,” said Kew.
For more information, contact Tammy Babcock at babcockt@nullferris.edu or Van at vanp@nullferris.edu. n