Noche de Talento, inspired by Latino Heritage Month, featured a wide range of talents including singing, guitar playing, spoken word, rap and even talking backwards. The annual talent program was held last Thursday by Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority Inc.
“This event has been going on every semester for the past couple of years. And every year I am even more surprised with the turnout at this program," said Wendy Palonco, a Ramapo alumna, who came out to support her sorority. "I feel like it really does get better each year with the many different acts that come out to show their talent. It’s quite surprising how much hidden talent Ramapo has.”
Once walking into J.Lee’s, those who attended got a chance to enjoy some traditional Latino food, consisting of arroz con pollo and empanadas with friends while waiting for the show to start.
“I would never be able to go up there and do something like that. It takes a lot of guts, a lot of courage to stand up there with everyone’s eyes on you…Kudos to them," senior Janice Rodriguiez said.
During the brief intermission, there was a period of time for all students to get up and dance. The intermission also brought about some last minute sign ups, as students were encouraged by their talented peers in the first half of the show.
Noche de Talento was not a contest, but more of a showcase of the talents that Ramapo students may have. Acts from off campus performed as well.
Justin Sullivan and Lester Pernala, students from Bergen Community College, came back to perform for the event after being requested by popular demand.
“It felt kind of like a concert,” said Sullivan. “I recognized some faces from last semester and they were a great crowd. The room had such a positive energy that it was easy to play into it for our performance.”
“This has definitely been one of my favorite programs so far this semester,” said junior Jessy Menjivar. "I can’t wait for this to happen again next semester.”
rmaricha@ramapo.edu
