Photo by Kary Johnson of Isaac Stouffer

I arrived on campus for the first time in the Fall of 2015, and right away I knew the school was something special. It took only a week of being here to realize just how special it really is. I’d never attended an Open Mic Night before but, having an appreciation for the arts, I felt inclined to check it out. I was amazed to discover how many of our friends and classmates could really sing, do comedy, and play various instruments. I was so delighted, I’ve tried to attend every Open Mic night for the rest of the semester. What disappoints me though is that out of the thousand or so students that go to this school, there’s only about 30 that ever seem to attend. Occasionally you see new faces, whether it’s to perform or watch, but there should be so many more! I ask every student reading this to attend just one night, for a measly half-hour. I promise you’ll be just as awestruck as I was and maybe you’ll want to show off what you got as well. At worst, you wasted thirty minutes and got free coffee.

My name is Darren Sheftic and I’m from Auburn, New York. I’m a transfer student in the Culinary Arts program, a gamer, psychology enthusiast and Chef-in-training.