Students were invited to sing their hearts out at Kapwa Club’s karaoke event, hosted in the Student Lounge on September 26. The room filled with students flocking to the microphone for a chance to sing for an audience of their peers.
Initially, only around eight or 10 singers were signed up; but as afternoon stretched into evening, many students lined up to perform. A clipboard sign-up sheet was passed around the room, garnering more participants. There were people who sang individually, people who sang with two or more friends, and a few who sang multiple times.
When they wanted to take a break from singing, students were served water and food: lumpia; pancit — a noodle dish; and vegetables from Panda Express.
The atmosphere was overwhelmingly cheerful. Music blasted from a massive speaker stationed in the Student Lounge, so loud that song, laughter, and cheering could be heard reverberating down the halls of the Student Union’s first floor.
As students sang, the audience was engaged, encouraging, and responsive. During many of the performances, audience members pulled their phones out and waved the flashlights back and forth. As the songs finished, applause rang out.
Following a performance of “You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morissette, student Emma Jacobs described her elation being in front of such a lively crowd.
“There’s almost like a shaky numbness when I’m up there,” said Jacobs, followed by a description of how that numbness vanishes, turning to excitement once she starts singing.
“The crowd just has so much warmth and support,” she said.
In addition to earning cheers and congratulations, the singers were often complimented by their friends and peers as they made their way back to the audience.
The turnout was so successful that some of the songs from repeated performers were skipped due to time constraints. The event ended a little after 5 p.m., with club members celebrating the achievement as they cleaned up.
According to Kapwa Club Activity Chairman Nathaniel Rosales, there were around 30 singers in total who participated, going off the numbers on the list. The club had prepared around an hour earlier to set everything up, from catering to speakers.
“That wasn’t that bad — you’d think that you’d be nervous singing in front of everyone,” said Rosales. “But everybody gets their chance, everybody gets to have fun; we’re all here for fun.”
The karaoke event encouraged students to relax, try their best, and above all else, have fun. Currently, Kapwa Club is gearing up for more events during the month of October, which celebrates Filipino American History Month.
