Spotlight: Round 2

February 9^th Spotlight’s second round of competition began in the Gatliff Chapel, as the 12 remaining contestants rivaled for fans, votes, and eventually for the title of UC 2016 Spotlight Champion.

The vocal and performance competition at UC mirrors the well-known competition “America Idol.”

 Following the first round of competition (duets) contestants were challenged with throwing a spin on a soundtrack of their choosing.

Niki Marietta who is pictured above is a freshman at UC and
fist time contestant on Spotlight.

Niki Marietta, a contestant in this year’s competition, decided on the song “No Diggity.” She said, “I changed my mind from my original song to a really random song that I thought I could totally throw a jazz twist on. It turned out way better than I expected.”

The tradition of the Spotlight competition has made quite an impact on both students and staff each year.

Myah Flecher, a freshman at UC experiencing Spotlight for the first time said, “I think it gives students a taste of fame. You hear students talking and encouraging their friends on stage and you even hear compliments from professors.”

According to Dr. Dickman, a professor and popular judge for the Spotlight series said, “Year after year, more UC students attend Spotlight than attend sporting events here at the college.”

The appeal of Spotlight comes from more than just the vocal talents but also the personalities of each contestant, which include; Nick Baxter, Trey Bryant, Joey Fiefhaus, Seth Hale, Slade Lambert, Niki Marietta, Maya Nelson, Krystal Roberson, Elizabeth Steward, Kristen Swords, Kelsley Wilkinson, and Alex Withers.

Dr. Dickman says, “My favorite aspect of Spotlight would be how the students come out to support their peers year after year.”

After all the hype and entertainment, comes the business and paperwork of Spotlight; the voting.

Voting is very important and can be done in two ways. One way is online and the other is in house voting, at the time of event. Online voting is easily done by locating the C.A.B. accounts on; Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter and clicking the link in their bio. Votes will be how the judges decide who goes home and who stays, and ultimately decides the UC 2016 Spotlight Champion.

“Voting is critical and everyone should go online and submit a vote,” said Marietta.

Next Spotlight event is scheduled for February 23, in the Gatliff Chapel. Sure to be a crowd pleaser, the challenge of the competition is to perform a Classic Rock song.