Mr. & Ms. UM-Flint crowned
Kelly Burge
Issue date: 2/1/10 Section: Student Life
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Contestants started arriving around 4 p.m. as theatre department members set up the stage for the fifth annual Mr. and Ms. UM-Flint Scholarship Competition.
Ashley Joyner, freshman international marketing major, was one of the first to arrive as the ladies hit the makeup rooms. “I think I’ve got a handle on it,” she said. “You’ve got to learn how to be in front of an audience is all.”
The biggest difficulty for Joyner was getting to practices. “I’m really jumping into this,” she said. “But I think I was well prepared for this and have a shot. Whatever the judges want, that’s what you go for.”
Some of the boys rushed to learn their dance moves for the opening number in the dressing room. Freshman psychology major, Kyle Manley, helped out many of his peers.
“I love being a part of things,” he said. “I am forgetting what I’m going to say, but I know I’ll remember when I get out there.”
By 5:15 p.m. most of the contestants had arrived and began to prepare. Many gathered to rehearse the stressful opening number with choreographer Takiyah Jackson of Flint. Jackson has choreographed the show before, but admits they’ve never done it in so little time.
“It’s really last minute,” she said, but “I love doing this every year. They are so easy to work with.” Jackson said that the routine this year was Bob Fosse-inspired, a second choice to Michael Jackson. The ladies were nothing but supportive of each other as all 10 of them crammed into the tiny dressing room. The chaos of hair, make-up, clothes, and guests ran right up until the last second, but Joyner kept her cool, checking herself in the mirror, texting and chatting with the other girls.
Tonya Bailey, educational opportunity initiatives program manager and one of the main coordinators for the competition, gathered everyone before the show for a pep talk. “There are no losers,” she told the contestants, “there is a separation between leaders that do and leaders that watch other people do. Every last one of you is Mr. or Ms. UM-Flint.”
Waiting in the audience were 250 ticket holders as contestants pinned on their numbers and filed behind the closed curtains, finding their places, wishing each other luck, stretching, and going through the moves one more time. Manley waited in the dark for the curtain to rise.
“I’m nervous, but delayed nervous. I’m sure I’ll feel it most when we start,” he said. “I think I have a pretty good chance.”
It was amazing to see how many people were involved in the event. Contestants and coordinators alike were flying around everywhere. “It’s crazy!” Bailey said, as she assigned stagehands to help individual contestants.
Finally the curtain rose, and the music started. You could feel the adrenaline pouring off the stage. All through the dance, the crowd cheered and whistled its support. Manley, confident, stood in front near center.
Next was round one of three-school spirit. Manley donned U-M sports gear and his old tennis racket. “I did tennis in middle school, and I thought, let me pick it up one more time.”
Next was the business round, where Manley and Joyner sported some stylishly colored business clothes. The two took a moment backstage to admire themselves in the mirror, compliment each other and exchange a hug.
The business round included a display of business attire, portrayal of future plans, and an interview question asked by Chancellor Ruth Person.
The music pumped as the contestants took the stage. “I’m kind of winging it,” Manley said, “I’m going to take a minute, get myself together, and when I get out there, I’m ready to do what I do.”
Manley, wearing the chancellor’s lucky number, 13, answered his question: “What is your best characteristic?” with assurance. His best quality is his “cheerfulness. No matter what the mood is, [he’s] always there to help someone who’s not feeling well and be a pep person.”
When Manley came offstage he said, “The nerves are gone. I’m ready to go. I know my charisma is going to carry me through to the end.”
“The best part of this is not doing it alone, so when you didn’t know where your shoes were and they were on your feet, someone was there to remind you, ‘You’re standing in them, bro.’”
Finally, came formal wear. The dressing rooms were an explosion of color between the ladies’ dresses and the gentlemen’s shirts, ties and vests.
“This is flying by pretty quick,” Joyner said. “The best part was the thrill of getting ready and jumping in. You just have to go, go, go, because you’re on a time schedule.”
Meanwhile, Manley never stopped helping the guys, whether it was dance moves for the opener or advice on walking the walk and using a suit jacket to add flair.
The tension kept rising as the contestants gathered behind the curtain for the award ceremony. Again, the emotion was pouring off the stage in waves. “I think we all did really well as contestants, guys and girls,” Joyner said.
Kalon Moore and Laura Macko were crowned Mr. and Ms. UM-Flint. The runners-up were Kyle Manley and Carole Barton. The student award by popular vote was awarded to Jenny Serwach.
Mr. and Ms. UM-Flint gave statements as the contestants dashed out to the lobby to greet family and friends. Moore said, “I’m ecstatic. I’m not in disbelief but I am in shock that just being myself would be enough to qualify me to be the face of UM-Flint.”
Macko said, “I am so excited. I really wanted this ever since Amanda [Forsmark], a friend of mine, won last year. I wanted to walk in her footsteps and now I did.”
Joyner and Manley, too, rode the rush of excitement following the event.
“This (experience) was above and beyond what I expected,” Joyner said.
“I believed in myself,” Manley said, “and maybe not this year, but I got second place and second place is an honor, being next to Kalon. I am on a high like no other.”
The competition raised $3,000 and counting for the Bridges to Success Book Scholarship Fund. The winners all received a variety of cash prizes, gift certificates and even some handy UM-Flint coffee mugs.
“Overall, I think that it was one of the most successful shows thus far,” Arteria Young, assistant program director for educational opportunity initiatives, said. “We have been receiving great reviews from students and faculty.”
Kelly can be reached at bburge@umflint.edu.
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