Sigma Mu Mu Chapter Awards $1150.00 in Prizes to Talent Hunt Contestants

On 19 March 2022, Sigma Mu Mu Chapter, Third District of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., presented its
virtual Talent Hunt Program to the public via Zoom Webinar, and announced the winners of $1150.00 in
prizes for the competitors. Five contestants competed and performed in the areas of vocal music,
dramatic interpretation, and instrumental music. Ms. Dillan Vanzego, a third year student at Tuscarora
High School in Leesburg, VA, won the competition with her vocal solo performance of “Days of Plenty”
by Jason Howland. As the winner, Ms. Vanzego was awarded a $500.00 scholarship and represented
Sigma Mu Mu in Omega’s 3 rd District Talent Hunt Program in Alexandria, VA on April 2, 2022. The first
runner up, Ms. Zahria Ford, is a junior at Rockridge High School in Ashburn, VA. Ms. Ford performed a
dramatic interpretation of an original poem entitled, “Colors”, and was awarded a $300.00 scholarship.
The second runner up, Mr. Elijah Woodward, is a senior at Duke Ellington School of the Arts in
Washington, D.C.; Mr. Woodward performed an instrumental solo of an original composition entitled
“Back to the Norm” and was awarded a $200.00 scholarship. Honorable mention contestants Mr. Shire
Sexton and Mr. Mason Wes Manassa each received a $75.00 award; Mr. Sexton performed a saxophone
instrumental and Mr. Manassa performed an oboe instrumental.
Under the leadership of Sigma Mu Mu Chapter’s Talent Hunt Committee Chairman, Brother Zedric
Teague, the chapter’s Talent Hunt Program was executed safely and flawlessly in a virtual format,
mitigating health risks related to an uptick in COVID-19 cases. Applicants submitted video recordings of
their performance in digital format. On 12 March 2022, the chapter held a preliminary adjudication
session via Zoom during which the video submissions were reviewed and scored by expert judges. This
year’s judges included Mrs. Syndie Ligett-Dennis, Mr. Michael Girdy, and Mr. Shun McGhee whose areas
of expertise included dance, instrumental music, and vocal music, respectively. The adjudication session
was facilitated by the Talent Hunt committee and was open to the Brothers of Sigma Mu Mu. The final
scores were tallied, and the 2022 Talent Hunt winners were selected during this preliminary
adjudication session. The winners were formally announced during the 19 March Zoom Webinar that
was attended by each contestant, their family and friends, and Brothers of Sigma Mu Mu Chapter. Each
contestant’s video performance was shown during the program, providing exposure for the students
and highlighting their individual talents.