Jan 18, 2018 9 min read

Teen Outreach’s ninth annual Washington’s Got Talent finale will be held at Chartiers-Houston High School from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Jan 28. The show is our only fundraiser and is perfect for our mission. More than 200 young people are involved in planning and producing the event, led by our community coordinator, my daughter Amy Podgurski Gough and our teen Students Helping Others committee. Tickets and online voting are available at http://www.washingtonsgottalent.com/.

Traditionally, I dedicate the columns prior to the finale to our young finalists. They respond to three questions: 1. Why do you enjoy performing? 2. What does performing in Washington’s Got Talent mean to you, and, 3. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? In ABC order, here are responses from the first half of our 32 finalists:

Autofocus

Connor Ehrgood: 1. It makes me happy to entertain others, especially if it’s a song they like. 2. It’s a great opportunity to show what we can do while supporting a good cause. 3. Working in manufacturing, doing sound and light work on the side.

Megan Cottrill: 1. I enjoy performing because I love the way it makes people feel. I obviously love the whole aspect of the performance but hearing people’s comments after I perform, especially when I’m performing in the musical theater drama, just makes me really happy. I love being able to play a character and having the audience relate. 2. I love being in WGT. I was in it last year and I’m so happy to just be surrounded by so many younger people that have talent. It’s a great experience. 3. Hopefully in 10 years I’ll be out of medical school. I want to be a surgeon, but I also don’t want my musical background to die. At the least I will be doing some community musical theater while I’m in college.

James Gilbert: 1. I enjoy performing because I love to play music, and I like that other people can be included when we perform. 2. Performing in WGT means that I have been given the opportunity to showcase my favorite thing to do alongside my friends. 3. In 10 years I will be 27, and I see myself graduated from college, with a successful job and married. Living somewhere warm, and still playing music.

Jason Nicholson: 1. I enjoy playing music and expressing myself. 2. It means an opportunity to do something new. 3. I plan on serving our country in the armed forces.

Dan Renz: 1. You must know why you’re performing to enjoy performing. What a musician goes through is an amazing experience that others do as well, but they play instruments to share that experience with an audience who don’t have a voice. Personally, however, I enjoy It because I have a passion for music that’ll never be stopped. 2. It means another fun experience to create memories with friends. 3. 10th time auditioning for WGT

Belle Lignes

Alexa Siksa: 1. I enjoy performing because I like to wow people and express feeling through my body. 2. It means a lot to me I am so excited to meet new people and perform. 3. In 10 years I see myself opening a dance studio teaching kids a safe and proper way to stretch without getting injured.

Jadyn Matson: 1. I enjoy performing because it makes me happy, its good exercise and I love being the reason for a smile on someone’s face. 2. Performing in WGT means a lot to me because there are amazing competitors with a lot of talent. Also, not everyone can perform in the show. 3. In 10 years I see myself continuing to perform and practice as much as I do now. I also see myself going to college and minoring in dance.

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• Nico Cersosimo:
• 1. Because I get the opportunity to spread a message of love and positivity to everyone around me. 2. A chance to share my talent with the community and enjoy the company of other ambitious artists like myself. 3. Playing with toys and musical instruments with beautiful wife and our kids in our home up in the mountains.
• Mikey Ewing:
• 1. I’ve never performed for a big audience before, but I think I’ll love it because I’ve always wanted to be a concert musician. 2. Being a finalist this year means I get to demonstrate my musical ability. 3. I’m hoping to be a concert musician or a music instructor.
• Rebecca Grimm:
• 1. It is something I have done my whole life, and it has become a big part of my life. 2. It’s a way to express myself in what I love to do. 3. Doing what I love to do.
• Sierra Hafer:
• 1. I enjoy performing because I believe everyone needs an escape from the broken and problematic world today, whether that be a couple seconds or even a couple hours. So, by performing I feel as if I have helped unite people by all of us having a strong passion for music and forgetting all of our problems for a couple of minutes. 2. Performing in Washington’s Got Talent has to be the coolest thing ever. It gives me a chance to display “hidden” talents (I’m pretty shy) and just put people in a state of ease as I perform a familiar tune that both young and old will know. 3. In 10 years I see myself working as a psychologist helping adults, while studying psychology in college in hopes to reach my doctorate degree. Also starting – if I don’t already have- a family of my own.
• Jalicia Johnson:
• 1. I love performing because, I get to show people what I’ve been hiding for years. 2. It means a lot to me because a whole bunch of my family is supporting me.3. I see myself making music to satisfy people.
• Maggie McCort:
• 1. I love performing because it helps me take out all my emotions and I love the feeling after I perform. 2. Performing in Washington’s Got Talent means a lot to me because it helps with my self-esteem because I got into it through auditions. 3. In 10 years I see myself graduating college with a profitable job.
• Marissa McCracken:
• 1. Performing is the end result of hours of commitment. I love the work leading up to the big performance on the stage at a competition. I love hearing the music for the first time, learning the choreography from my awesome dance teachers, trying all of the costumes on, running the number multiple times, and finally, the performance. One of my favorite parts of the whole process is being with all of my dance sisters. My dance sisters are so much fun, and we always have a great time in rehearsals and on stage together. We are always so supportive of each other. Overall, performing with each and every one of my dance sisters has brought many memories that I will never forget. 2. Performing in Washington’s Got Talent means so much to me! It proves that bard work and dedication really does pay off. I am so honored to be representing the Hillers of Trinity High School. This is my first year at Trinity, and I am so excited to meet new students and teachers through my involvement in Washington’s Got Talent. I am also proud to be representing my dance studio, Dance With Me By Sisters 3. My studio is my home away from home. I am so thankful for all of my dance teachers and all of my dance family on both the competition team and the recreation team. 3. n 10 years, I see myself working as a dance teacher. It has always been a big dream of mine to work alongside my dance teachers who have taught me everything that I know! Working with these amazing women would be a dream come true because I want to inspire other young dancers like all of my teachers have inspired me.
• Dustyn Shuler:
• 1. I enjoy performing because playing drums is just something I love to do, and I love to share it with people. 2. It’s an opportunity to do something I love and showcase my talents. 3. I would like to continue drumming and be in a band but as a side job. My main career will be as a firefighter.
• Treyvon Smith
• : 1. I enjoy performing because I like to connect with the audience. 2. Performing in Washington’s Got Talent helps my self-confidence and prepares me for the future. 3. I see myself singing and signed to a recording label.