This year, the university plans to make Founders Day celebrations on March 7 extra special by showcasing individual student, faculty and staff talent.

Playing off the popular “America’s Got Talent”, the popular NBC talent competition, the university announced its search for people to participate in “PNW’s Got Talent”.

 “This isn’t a competition but rather a showcase of talent,” said Jahaira Perez, who is recruiting local talent to participate. “I don’t want to give too much away because the surprise of the talent will be a surprise on Founders Day. What I can say is it will be very unexpected and exciting when the participants are revealed!”

PNW’s Got Talent is a way for students and faculty to showcase their talents through a video recording. Perez said it will be an inclusive event that is designed to show everyone that attends what the participants can do outside of the classroom. 

“We are looking for all types of talents,” she said. “We have had submissions for singers, poets, instrumentalists and even bakers.” 

This event offers a break from studying and allows students to partake in something that is fun for everyone. Being part of events like this is also a great opportunity to meet new people. 

“We wanted a fun and engaging way to learn about our staff and faculty,” Perez said. “It shows genuine care about who they are as people outside of the university.

“I hope the crowd on March 7 is just as amazed as I have been with the talent at PNW,” he said.

One candidate is excited about the show.

“It was really nice being recommended for the event, and I had a great time participating with the staff who were coordinating the activities,” said Jeff Schieb, associate director of Institutional Research. “I’m really looking forward to seeing which talents my colleagues on campus have.”

Nominations closed Feb. 21. The event will be held in Alumni Hall in the SULB building, Hammond, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on March 7.