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Junior communication and English major Jayme Wright performs a dance routine Wednesday at Inspired: A showcase of women's talent, hosted by W - Power in Women. The show featured songs, poetry and dance performed by women.

Sophomore English major Chidinma Nebo performs an original spoken word called "YOU" Wednesday. Nebo performed in the W - Power in Women talent show.

Inspiring: women display their talent

By: Madiha Rizvi

Posted: 11/20/08

A lone figure came onto the stage with the accompanying notes of "Big time," a song based on Linda Eder, to sing for a cause.

She was one of the Inspired performers at

W - Power in Women's showcase of women's talents.

The money from ticket sales and the silent auction at Inspired will aid CARE, an international organization that helps more than 75 million people in 61 countries.

The event had 11 female performers who sang, danced and read poetry. The theme of the event was Rock out Poverty.

"We opened this for them. The name of the event is inspired so we want them to do whatever they want," said Alyssa Kreutter, a junior psychology major and executive chair of the Women-in-Performance committee.

The panel of judges was made of several student and community leaders. There were four awards given: overall winner, inspirational, most unique and audience favorite.

Robin Van Zandt, a freshman nutritional sciences major, said that it was a blessing to perform because it was her passion.

"This event shows how they take time to raise money for an organization which needs it. It shows their big their hearts because it takes a lot of time and effort to put this kind show on," Van Zandt said.

This semester, W-Power in Women is in its second year and has had a demonstration where they lived homeless in Rudder Plaza.

"It was not like camping which a lot of people said it was," said Melissa Stone executive chairwoman of public relations.

"We had our clothes which we came wearing and we had books. We were living on what was donated to us. Like we had no blankets until someone donated them to us. We then donated the items to Twin City Missions."

The organization is hosting a poverty panel Dec. 1 in Rudder 410. For the spring semester, they are planning to have a 24 hour poverty simulation. In this event, people will simulate decisions which people in poverty make and go over the decision mechanisms. They are also having a women health symposium where the mental and physical health issues of women will be addressed.

W - Power in Women looks at the feminization of poverty because some women have extra responsibilities that worsen their situations. It is an organization focused on fighting poverty globally and locally in Bryan-College Station.

"Women have extra responsibilities of children," Stone said. "They can be held back in physically, where they cannot move out of poverty. It can be finding a full time job with salary and benefits but at a cost of their time with children."