TXST’s Got Talent event embodied the homecoming week spirit by showcasing students of diverse talents with performances full of magic tricks, drag queen sass, stand-up comedy and original song lyrics.
The Texas State annual talent show is one of the university’s homecoming traditions. The event is hosted every year to generate homecoming spirit and pride while showcasing some of Texas State’s talented individuals. The event was held 7-9 p.m., Nov. 6, in Evans Auditorium.
Comedian Tyler Bo traveled from Portland, Oregon, to host for the night. He kept the audience laughing throughout the show as he introduced the performances, which consisted of 13 acts.
The judges determined the winners for solo, group music, movement and variety categories. The audience was able to vote via the Twitter account @sacatxst for their favorite performance that would receive the People’s Choice Award.
The Filipino Student Association won the People’s Choice Award with its hip hop dance routine. External President of FSA Victor Hernandez said the organization performed in the show in 2018, and he believes it is will be a good opportunity to showcase members’ talent and love for dance.
“I feel humbled they allowed us to come back,” Hernandez said. “To continue coming back would be a good tradition for our organization and a good way to put our name out there.”
Fabien Moreno, American literature graduate student, performed a series of magic tricks to entertain the audience. Moreno has been performing professionally for seven years and jumped at the opportunity to test out new material.
“This is how I pay my way through school,” Moreno said. “Plus, it looked like fun. I write papers during the week and more often than not, I’m on the road from Thursday to the next Monday.”
Moreno said it was fun to see the variety of talent found among the student body and enjoyed his time at the show.
“It was great because of the fact these are all students on campus,” Moreno said. “It’s so good to see such high-quality talent at Texas State. It felt like a full review show.”
Lauren Mazoch, general studies freshman, won first place in the solo music category. Mazoch sang an original song and said she has been itching to share her music.
“It’s even more special when you write music because you know the ins and outs and everything about it,” Mazoch said. “I want people to hear my music and hopefully like it.”
Mazoch said the TXST’s Got Talent crowd was the biggest audience she has ever performed in front of and she could not have been more excited to be a part of the homecoming week tradition.
“This is all so new for me, and even to just be a part of Texas State Homecoming is so crazy to hear, super cool and exciting,” Mazoch said.
Winning first place in the group music category was Echoes A Capella, a singing group aiming to share their love for music, create laughs and spread positivity. Isabella Rodriguez, nursing freshman, said it was her first year performing with the group and enjoyed the experience.
“We do it as a tradition every year to get our name out and to inform students of our organization,” Rodriguez said. “I already feel like a family with these people and everyone is just really comforting. It was super fun.”
Bart Peluso, digital media innovation senior, performed his stand-up comedy routine. He has done several solo shows in Austin but since he commutes to Texas State, he has not been able to participate until this year.
“Even as a young kid, I’ve always liked Texas State,” Peluso said. “I’m very happy being here. It’s a big honor.”
Peluso is a Cat Camp counselor as well and said he was excited to see some of his campers and teammates at the event.
“I’ve always preached to (the campers) about fun activities at Texas State, including homecoming,” Peluso said. “Now I’m a part of it, it’s like I can show them if I can do it, then they can do it.”
For more information on Texas State Homecoming Week festivities, visit the homecoming webpage on the Texas State website.