On the night of Tuesday, Feb. 8, the 2022 season of the Hilltop’s famous Topper Idol saw its second round of performances wrapping up as yet another success. This week, contestants shared some of their favorite Disney tunes with the judges; with a full audience of supportive student fans, the overwhelming sense of community was truly palpable in the Student Union that evening. While this kind of atmosphere isn’t at all unusual to Topper Idol, one can’t help but think that it could be connected to the event’s celebrating of its tenth consecutive year being held here on campus.

Residence Life Area Coordinator and Director of Topper Idol, Yodev Ocasio, when asked to comment on the significance of the events tenth-year anniversary, spoke on how the event has basically cemented itself as a tradition here on the Hilltop at this point; “With ten years under its belt, Topper Idol isn’t going anywhere any time soon. It’s an annual and highly anticipated event not only for students, but the Housing Office as well. It’s tradition.”

Ocasio went on to discuss how the ongoing global pandemic of COVID-19 put a bit of a damper on the event, as last year’s festivities had to be held virtually, and at some points, along with many other things during the pandemic, the future of Topper Idol came into question, but the Housing Office knew that everything had to be done to ensure that the show could still go on; “And that’s what makes this year so special, for so many different reasons. It’s the tenth-year anniversary, which is a cause for celebration, and we’re back in the Union. You can really just feel the energy of the students, not to mention the contestants or the judges. Topper Idol has always been an event that brought out a lot of people, and it’s always been a lot of fun, this year has just been even more of that.”

While Topper Idol is obviously a very special event here on campus for student life and engagement, it’s also important to note that students have the opportunity to win a considerable scholarship from the West Liberty University Foundation through the judging process of Topper Idol. With scholarships ranging from $250, $500, and $1,000, Ocasio spoke of how important the singing competition is as a way for the WLU Foundation to actively participate in the support of the university’s students; “It’s often a very emotional moment for the students that win, and it’s an amazing thing that we can support students like that as a kind of recognition for their individual talent, commitment, and showmanship.”

As a director, Ocasio also has plans to keep developing, improving, and adding to Topper Idol as the shows continue to be held here on campus; for example, this year’s festivities featured a chicken nugget eating contest. With raucous laughter, applause, and cheers coming from the crowd, it’s easy to see that these additions are welcome innovations to the campus tradition, and Ocasio has no plans on stopping there; “I want to encourage students to keep being excited about things like Topper Idol, and to expect more fun and exciting updates coming in the near future.”

While we’re still only halfway through the competition, the crowd is already warming up to some fan favorites. With next week’s theme being, “songs from the 90s,” attendees can expect to see another riveting performance by Mary Thinzar Khine, Mackenzey Infanti, Sarah Booth, Edward Engle, and Shawn Ball at next week’s round of Topper Idol on Tuesday, Feb. 15, at 7:00 p.m.