Daniela Rivas and Bethlehem Yimer sing “Halo” by Beyoncé, accompanied by Ian Tubbs at the ISA open mic. Lilly Kujawski | Washtenaw Voice
By Lilly Kujawski
Editor
The Java Spot was filled with laughter and cheer for the open mic event hosted by the International Student Association on campus.
The event was held on April 4 and drew a crowd to the Student Center cafe. According to Bara Youness, 22, an open mic participant, the ISA hosts similar open mic events once or twice a semester.
“I wish they did it more frequently,” Youness said. “A lot of students enjoy going to them.”
Youness said ISA open mics create a supportive and welcoming place for students to perform and share their talents with each other.
“There’s no judgment,” he said. “Whether you can sing or not, it doesn’t matter.”
“It was fun and scary at the same time,” said open mic participant Daniela Rivas, 20, of performing in front of an audience. Rivas is a math and science major at WCC and the vice president of ISA. “When you’re surrounded with your friends, you feel like you’re just having fun.”
“We had a great audience,” Rivas added. “What else can you ask for?”
Ian Tubbs, the MC for the event, shared similar sentiments of the audience turnout at the open mic.
“We had people I’ve never seen before,” said Tubbs. “Good turnout, good atmosphere, good crowd.”
Participants of the open mic sang and rapped for the crowd. Bethlehem Yimer, a 20-year-old business major, performed two songs: “Impossible” by Shontelle, and “Halo” by Beyoncé as a duet with Rivas. Another group sang “A Whole New World” from the movie “Aladdin.”
Rivas said that ISA hosts other events, too, most of which serve to provide students with information about transferring, scholarships and other academic assistance.
“We try to have fun at the same time,” Rivas said. She added that group members also lead presentations highlighting their various cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
At the end of the event, many of the ISA members present gathered to sing “Happy Birthday” in multiple languages to one of the members who had a birthday coming up.
ISA meets on Thursdays from 4-6 p.m. in LA 160.
