Charity Fashion Show: The Show Goes On

By: Savina Khangura


On Friday, April 1, 2011, students and parents gathered together in C120 to watch the annual Charity Fashion Show. The turnout was impressive with a total of 350 tickets sold.

The Charity Fashion Show is held every year to raise funds for a local charity, while also showcasing the great talent of MSJ students. For the first time in CFS history, the community committee in L2 consisting of Minahil Khan, Andrew Kim, Allison Tong, Alyson Au, and Nikita Ramanajam was primarily in charge of organizing this year’s CFS show. In order to choose a charity to represent this year and to involve the entire student body, this committee created a Facebook survey for students to vote on their favorite charity. The winning local charity, A Home Within, provides mental health services to foster children free of charge by pairing each child with a therapist. In addition to the local charity chosen, L2 held a raffle and silent auction during the show to collect proceeds to go to earthquake and tsunami relief efforts in Japan. The total amount raised for these charities was $1,952.

Staying true to the theme, The Show Goes On, there was not one dull moment throughout the entire show. Seniors Andrew Kim and Isabelle Yi acted as masters of ceremony, as they introduced the night’s talents and categories. Not only did these two individuals display charisma with their dance battles and rapping segments, they also were incredibly adorable with their lively banter. The Syncopasians, one of MSJ’s a capella groups, opened the show with a rendition of “Geek in the Pink” by Jason Mraz. Appropriately, the casual wear segment followed with the latest fashions from popular stores like Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters. But the most memorable part was the Jersey Shore inspired outfits, with MSJ’s very own Vinny, Snooki, Pauly D, and Sammi fist pumping down the runway.

As the night progressed audience members were entertained with Hip Hop and Jazz dance numbers, and MSJ’s very own rap artist, Joey “Spade” Cantrell performed his original rap, “Beautiful Struggles”. The sportswear category mixed in extremely well with these high-energy performances, displaying classic “wii-sports” wear and neon aerobic outfits among others. CFS also showcased singers like Seniors Aneesha Desai, Eileen Nyugen, Menaka Shankar, and Isabelle Yi who tugged on our heartstrings as they performed inspirational songs that included “Someone Like You” by Adele and “Price Tag” by Jessie J. Seniors Michael Lee and Eric Yai demonstrated great skill on the guitar, piano, and ukulele as they provided musical accompaniment throughout the show.

As the show came to its end, prom season was kicked into gear with the formal wear category. Wearing ball gowns, gorgeous dresses, and tuxedos, the models showed their classy sides to the crowd. Finally, as the last couple walked down the runway, the final talent piece closed the show with some poi spinning, a form of juggling where the balls are swung around the body, performed by Senior Dustin Vo to “Somebody to Love” by Justin Bieber featuring Usher. L2 Community Co-Chair, Minahil Khan, said, “I just want to thank every single person who helped out and came out to the show. We couldn’t have made such a big difference for this charity without our amazingly supportive student body.”