Florida Atlantic University students took center stage at Program Board’s third annual Coffeehouse event on Thursday night, Jan. 16, where students got together in a social setting to showcase their own unique, individual talents.

Unlike in previous years, this Coffeehouse featured a versatile blend of musicians, vocalists and poets  —  a change that was welcomed by many students.

“I really enjoyed Sherrika’s performance, this Coffeehouse had a lot more variety. I loved the poetry aspect of it. The quality was great last year as well, but there were mostly singers,” said Akeem Edwards, a junior psychology and criminal justice major.

The night began with a piece both composed and performed by freshman Kevon Mayers, followed by his rendition of Beyonce’s “Halo,” along with special guest Danielle as the vocalist.

With a roar of applause, senior Rebecca Guillaume then took the stage, accompanied by guitarist and commercial music major Christopher Felix.

Guillaume began singing the words to the popular piece, “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” originally performed by Roberta Flack.

[quote_simple]The crowd fell completely silent as junior public management major Sherrika Mitchell clung to the microphone and performed an original poem about making love, which she compared to the ecstasy of putting pen to paper and filling a blank canvas with inspiration.[/quote_simple]

Mitchell ultimately left the crowd on the edge of their seats and hanging on to her every word.

Cedric Brazle, junior political science major, crooned to the women in the crowd with the heartfelt pieces he chose to cover.

With the night still young, Nathaniel Delevoe, a freshman majoring in social work, took center stage to perform an original and  motivational poem about life’s hardships, called “Testimony.” Although originally Delevoe promised to only perform the first half, but after the crowds insistence, he performed the poem in its entirety.

Freshman business major and first time Coffeehouse attendee Aaliyah Bryson said, “The performance were a lot of fun, Nate was my favorite performer of the night.”

She insisted that she would definitely be back for the next one.

Keanna Bell, a junior public management major, said, “I really enjoyed myself. The performances were not only exceptional, but also inspirational. You don’t realize the talent that is here until you step out and see it for yourself.”

The Program Board will also be hosting “Ladies of Comedy” on Saturday, Jan. 25 in the Barry Kaye Auditorium at 8 p.m. The event is free for students and will feature female comedians Pam Bruno, Bernadette Emmanuel and Vanessa Fraction. For more information, like the Program Board’s Facebook , look for flyers around campus or pick up a copy of their spring semester events calendar in the Student Union.