On Friday, November 18, Delta Phi Epsilon raised money for their philanthropy, Cystic Fibrosis. To reach their goal, the sorority hosted Deepher Dude, their annual male pageant-style event.
“Cystic fibrosis is a progressive, genetic disease that affects the lungs, pancreas, and other organs,” said the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
According to the foundation’s website, mucus found in the organ can become thick due to the dysfunction of the CFTR protein. When this happens, the mucus in lungs can clog airways, causing bacteria to create inflammation, infections, and other complications.
“There are close to 40,000 children and adults living with cystic fibrosis in the United States,” said the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Deepher Dude’s mission is to raise funds to help towards finding a cure for cystic fibrosis. The male pageant required a $5 entry fee and was located in the Miron Student Center, Little Theatre. The contestants of the show were Joey Ippolito, Joshua Soto, Travis Griffith, Da’Shon Williams, and Roger Guzman.
The judges, consisting of Scott Snowden, Jess Kramer, and Aly Les, determined the winner based on how they performed in the different stages. The three stages were Kean knowledge, talent, and final question.
The show started with crowd love, where the audience cheered for the contestant that they liked the most. Kean Knowledge followed soon after and in this contestants were asked questions about Kean University history.
Next was the talent portion of the show. Each contestant showed off their special skills for the crowd. Ippolito gave the audience a laugh with stand-up comedy. Soto performed ‘Bad Habit' by Steve Lacy on the bass. Griffith sang ‘Beautiful Girl’ by Sean Kingston. Williams sang ‘Hey There Delilah’ by Plain White T’s. Guzman finished with extreme weightlifting.
The last portion was the final question where the men were asked, “Why Should You Be Deepher Dude?” Each contestant shared why they should win as well as answering personal questions about themselves.
When all the stages were completed, the judges got together to collectively decide who would be the Deepher Dude. After much deliberation, Joshua Soto was crowned as the 2022 Deepher Dude.
Like the ones before it, this male pageant was a great and fun way to educate students while raising money for cystic fibrosis.If students would like to contribute to the cause, they can learn more and donate by visiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation website.
