Members of the UMB community showcased their musical and storytelling talents for the second year in a row.
For the second year in a row, members of the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) community showed off their musical and storytelling talents during the “UMB’s Got Talent” show.
Five students and one prospective student were judged based on preparation, quality and delivery, stage presence, and creativity during the livestreamed show Dec. 16.
Gregory Brightbill, MBA, MEd, associate director, student leadership and involvement, Intercultural Leadership and Engagement, hosted the show live via Zoom. Brightbill, who showed off holiday decorations at his house and switched ugly Christmas sweaters between performances, had participated in the talent show last year on piano.
Yao Wang, a fourth-year PhD student at the University of Maryland School of Social Work (UMSSW), kicked off the show by playing a Chinese classic, “A Moonlit Night on the Spring River,” on piano. Fellow UMSSW student Pamela Rosal, who is pursuing a Master’s in Social Work degree, read an original story called “The Notification” that is a tribute to the life of a friend who died after receiving a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.
The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy was represented by two students. Juliet Obi, a third-year PhD candidate in pharmaceutical sciences, sang Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” Radha Vaidya, who is pursuing a master’s degree in pharmaceutical sciences, performed a Korean song on piano.
Rihanat Wuraola Musa, 20, who would like to attend the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON), performed the song “Be You” accompanied by her talking drum. She wrote the song when she was in middle school and was struggling to fit in.
Jason Jeon, who is in UMSON’s Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Doctor of Nursing Practice program, closed out the show by singing “The Last Time” by Eric Benet. He said he sings it every night to his newborn son.
The judges and approximately 50 live viewers agreed on the winner of the show: Jeon.
The show was a collaborative project among the University Student Government Association (USGA), the Faculty Senate, and the Staff Senate.
The event was planned by Grace Olubowale, who serves as USGA’s programming chair.
You can watch the performances here or below.