With COVID-19 cases on the rise in Monroe County, Student Government is in the process of planning around the restrictions for social gatherings.
Nicholas Manor, president of Student Government, said their goal is to find unique ways to keep MCCC students engaged in the community while also keeping everyone safe.
One of these ways is by hosting a virtual talent show.
Usually, Jack Ryder, technical support assistant, oversees the talent show, but this year, he was unable to.
Colette Tibai, MCCC student and member of Student Government, took the lead for this project.
“I was excited at the thought of putting something together that students and staff at MCCC could have fun being a part of, even with it having to be virtual,” Tibai said.
Unlike previous years, there was no audition process for this year’s talent show.
Students submitted videos of their talents on or before April 16.
Tibai said she made the decision to exclude the audition process to help the planning go more smoothly and with the hope that more people would participate.
Their submissions will be compiled for everyone to view on YouTube, said Student Government advisor Tom Ryder.
Once the submissions are compiled, the Student Government will send the video link to student e-mails and post the video on the Student Government Facebook page, said Ryder.
They don’t yet know when the video will be available to view because it will depend on how long it takes them to edit the videos together, he said.
The Student Government will be judging each submission, and three winners will take home Amazon gift cards.
The first-place winner will receive $100, the second-place winner will receive $75, and the third-place winner will receive $50.
The theme of the talent show is “Unmask the Talent.”
“When planning it, I had thoughts go through my head of how we are all so separated and cannot even see our friend’s and family’s smiles,” Tibai said. “With it being virtual, the videos could be filmed safely in the comfort of home where everyone’s beautiful smiles did not have to be masked.”
“Everybody loves the in-person events, and we really wanted to bring that energy back,” Manor said.
