On the evening of Thursday, October 1, 2015, our Hudson Catholic High School cafeteria, also known as Club 790, turned into a rendition of America’s Got Talent. At the entrance, Keith Fajardo was selling Starbucks coffee and snacks as a crowd of about a hundred people awaiting the night’s performances filled the dimly lit room.

The emcees of the event, juniors Iria Pineiro and Charlee Gonzalez, kicked off the night with a comedic intro. Their funny monologue kept the crowd amused between each performance set. The open mic event consisted of a variety of student acts leaving the crowd entertained.

Sophomore Nate Abjelina led off the night with his well-known gospel rap. His lyrics of love received great responses from the audience. The crowd went wild when trying to interpret his clever verses. Another performance that stood out was one by another sophomore, Anan Belel, who sang “No One” by Alicia Keys.  The whole room was delighted by her choice of song and even joined in a spirited sing-along.

Following Anan’s performance was junior Azmeer Rahman and his spoken-word pieces. Azmeer expressed himself in a compelling way, exploring the meaning of life and human connection. I think we can all agree that as an audience, we were all impacted by his line “everything is temporary.’’ Towards the end, however, he got a bit too comfortable on stage and began poking fun of some students attending the event. All in good fun.

Near the finish, covering Sam Smith’s song “Lay Me Down,” was Dana Picinich. This renowned queen of the stage did an excellent job keeping the crowd intrigued. No stranger to performing in front of a large audience, Dana kept people engaged with her interesting take on the song.

Overall, there were just over a dozen acts, each with its own quirks and entertaining qualities. Even though some stumbled over a few of their words, the freshman were encouraged by the cheers of a supportive audience. The least memorable acts might have been shy, but their courage to continue on stage anyway was admirable.

Hopefully, Club 790’s third annual open mic will be even better than this one was. Hope to see you there!