PSU students flex at Pemi’s Talent Show
Jacob Downey
He/Him
Editor-in-Chief
11/19/22
On November 18th, The American Cancer Society hosted the very first “Pemi’s Talent Show”. With an assembly of an array of Plymouth’s most performatively apt students and a panel of celebrity judges including Miss New Hampshire 2022 Sarah White, Vice-President of Communications, Enrollment, and Student Life Marling Collingwood, and the anthropomorphic cat Pemi the Panther, all in attendance were blown away by the raw talent of Plymouth State students.
Acts included vocalist performances from Hannah Grove ‘26, Nicole Reynolds ‘24, Eliza Costa ‘24, a bass solo from Mattingly Colvin ’25, and the winner of the night body builder Rolando Sylvain-Scott ‘24 with a posing routine.
The audience favorite, Sylvain-Scott’s act was most certainly (and in a number of ways, literally) a flex. Sitting down with him after the show, he described his routine as “What I typically do on a bodybuilding show. So I kind of showed you guys my routine. I added a few of my personal stuff as well but the whole thing was pretty much something I do at a bodybuilding show”. Walking away with the 100$ prize, Sylvain-Scott noted that he “…was not sure if I was gonna win. I was just kind of showing up doing my thing”.
Sylvain-Scott noted that he thinks the talent show was an excellent way to bring people together, stating, “ever since COVID everyone just really kept to themselves. So when you hold the events like this, just like you saw it brought in a lot of people, people start talking before you know it. The community kind of binds”. Collingwood agreed with this sentiment, adding that:
“Having organizations that are not just focused on fun and games, but that are focused on actually a cause, the American Cancer Society, the fact that we have that now is a great thing. And so to have a fun event, that actually benefits something besides just PSU or another club I think is a big deal. And it’s really important, similar to the suicide prevention walk that occurred a month or so ago, I know the [ACS] are planning Relay for Life, which we’ve never had here before. So I think those are kind of nice things when the intersection of giving back and then having fun happens. I think it’s great for everybody.”
The show also included raffle prizes ranging from gift cards for local businesses such as Thai Smile and Ladders, donated student artwork from KC’s Crystals and Emily Birdie Design, an assortment of PSU swag, all the way to a free oil change from Nucar Ford of Plymouth. Through the raffle, 200$ was raised for ACS and Project Stalking, an annual initiative to support cancer patients during the holiday season.
Events such as this are a definite boon for the PSU community. They provide the opportunity not only to connect with one another and be entertained but to do some good along the way. For more information on how you can get involved with ACS, they can be found at @acs.psu on Instagram and hold meetings Thursdays at 5 pm in HUB Student Senate Room.