There are very talented students on Winthrop’s campus, and it is important that we recognize them to make sure their hard work does not go unnoticed. DSU presented a Student Spotlight on Feb. 20 to showcase some of the talent Winthrop students had to offer.
Freshman Brad Tinsley and freshman computer science major Gerald Wheaton started off the show with singing and playing their original songs, and they did very well. After Brad and Wheaton performed, senior English major Alecz Yeager sang her original songs and did a wonderful job. And the third act, was junior theatre major Dionte Darko and he rapped an original song and did a few remixes and he rapped a song with Jopastel. Then Jopastel performed his on original song “Decisions” at the very end. The show was great and was worth going to.
Sophomore accounting major, Tanaza Ford attended the event to see what our students have in store.
“The event was good and it was nice to see all the raw talent that we have on campus” Ford said.
Those in attendance enjoyed watching every single student perform their songs and were extremely supportive of everyone that put themselves out there.
“What I really loved about the student spotlight was that a lot of the students were able to stay true to their originality without having to feel like they were being judged because I am always interested in what Winthrop students have to offer musically.” Marisa Fields-Williams, a sophomore photography major, said.
There is a lot of pressure that comes with performing, so it took a lot for the students to step and perform but everyone that attended was very supportive and non-judgemental.
“I used to do a lot of gigs in Rock Hill, primarily over the summer and when the school year picked back up, I didn’t have as much time, so this is kind of a good way to get me back into the swing of performing.” Yeager said.
Yeager is graduating in May and has not had a lot of time to dedicate to music, but she took this opportunity to perform to let people see what she has to offer.
“I started writing poetry and then I got good enough at guitar to where I could make it into music,” Wheaton said.
The students that performed had a gift for songwriting, and it was great to see their creativity in person. They expressed their creativity in different ways as well; whether it be guitar playing or rapping, all of them were great.
“I grew up listening to music, listening to rap, listening to R&B, listening to all different types of music,” Darko said.
Each performer has their own story as to why they started making music and each one is unique.
“When I started writing, I never thought I would start recording it, I just knew I liked writing it, but that’s what really pushed me, just being around so much music and still now being around so much music.” Darko said.
All the students did a wonderful job and we all recognize the hard work they put into their music even if they have a million other things going on. Keep an eye out for the next student spotlight.
