{"id":1418,"date":"2012-10-18T22:02:19","date_gmt":"2012-10-18T22:02:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/?p=1418"},"modified":"2012-10-18T22:02:19","modified_gmt":"2012-10-18T22:02:19","slug":"sarah-hodges-crowned-the-voice-of-jsu-2012-2013","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/2012\/10\/18\/sarah-hodges-crowned-the-voice-of-jsu-2012-2013\/","title":{"rendered":"Sarah Hodges crowned \u2018The Voice of JSU\u2019 2012-2013"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Sarah Hodges, \u201cThe Voice of JSU\u201d 2012-2013.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Taylor Bembery<\/strong>
\nBlue and White Flash \/ Staff Writer<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Voice of JSU\u201d returned bigger and bolder in its second year as a featured event during Jackson State University\u2019s homecoming activities.<\/p>\n

The finale took place on Oct. 15, 2012 in the Lee E. Williams Athletics & Assembly Center with featured celebrity judges Kandi Burruss, Ruben Studdard and Dathan Thigpen.
\nThis year\u2019s finalists were Victoria Agnew, Aaron Cain III, Derrick Griffith, Sarah Hodges, Jasmine Howard, Calandra Jones, Latia Peavy, Martika Ross, Tameka Smith, KD Walker, and Kristi Williams.<\/p>\n

Phillip Cockrell, Associate Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students, Judicial Services, and the student justices played a key role in organizing this event. The event had a twist this year with special performances from the JSU Dazzlers and Dance Ensemble.<\/p>\n

Presented not only for students to showcase their talents vocally, \u201cThe Voice of JSU\u201d was also used to share information on Student Life\u2019s \u201cPause for a Cause\u201d, an educational awareness for domestic violence.<\/p>\n

The 2012 hosts were James Earl Lehaman Jr. and Britney Johnson, former senior class president and one of the founders of \u201cThe Voice of JSU.\u201d The production of the event was organized by JSU Tiger TV 22.<\/p>\n

Tyra Suggs, a senior criminal justice major from St. Louis, Mo. and winner of the 2011-2012 competition, opened up the show with a spunky ballad entitled \u201cCall Tyrone\u201d by Erykah Badu.After all the contestants performed, the celebrity judges deliberated and chose the top five contestants: Victoria Agnew, Martika Ross, Jasmine Howard, Tameka Smith, and Sarah Hodges.<\/p>\n

Latia Peavy, a junior biology pre-med major from Carthage, Miss. and a contestant who did not advance to the final round from Carthage, Miss., still had the attitude of a winner. She explained how her experience in this program has made her gain new friendships and confidence in performing on stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am new to the campus and I don\u2019t know a lot of people. Being a part of \u201cThe Voice of JSU\u201d has helped me meet new people and also gain new friends,\u201d said Peavy.<\/p>\n

The final round was a battle of the feminine felines of JSU with tributes to music powerhouses such as Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Tina Turner and many more.
\nEach contestant was accompanied by a live band, back-up singers and dancers. Everyone competing brought their own style and flavor to the final round.<\/p>\n

After the final performances, the decision of who would be crowned the new Voice of JSU was up to the audience. The audience voted by texting \u201cthevoicejsu\u201d to \u201c72727\u201d then received instruction\u2019s afterwards. To cast their vote, the audience had to send the contestants number to the receiving number.<\/p>\n

People were able to vote for their favorite contestant as many times as they liked for 10 minutes. Once all the votes were in, the decision was made.<\/p>\n

All the contestants were brought back to the stage to see who would become the new \u201cVoice of JSU\u201d for the 2012-2013 school year. After some taunting and teasing from the hosts, the winner was finally announced.<\/p>\n

Sarah Hodges, a senior music education major with a vocal concentration from Magnolia, Miss., was crowned \u201cThe Voice of JSU\u201d 2012-2013. Hodges won over the audience with a powerful tribute to the late Whitney Houston with performances of \u201cI Wanna Dance With Somebody\u201d, \u201cI\u2019m Every Woman\u201d, and \u201cI Look To You.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSinging is something that I am extremely passionate about and I actually want to pursue it as a career, being the winner of\u00a0 \u201cThe Voice of JSU\u201d is a good step towards that. It gave me real life experience as a performer,\u201d said Hodges.<\/p>\n

Perrin Bostic, a junior healthcare administration major from Little Rock, Ark., had nothing but great things to say about the new \u201cVoice of JSU\u201d winner.<\/p>\n

\u201cSarah Hodges hands down won \u201cThe Voice of JSU\u201d rightfully. She had stage presence, she was strong, and she had great song selections. She was amazing tonight and I\u2019m happy that she won,\u201d said Bostic.<\/p>\n

William Jenkins, a junior mass communications major from Mobile, Ala., added what he liked about \u201cThe Voice of JSU\u201d program.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018The Voice of JSU\u2019 had a live band and dancers making it feel as if our peers were giving a concert. It seemed like they sought out the best singers at JSU for the competition,\u201d said Jenkins.
\nJenkins also added how he felt about the winner of the competition.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the second round, Sarah really brought it home and peaked at the right moment with the Whitney Houston Tribute,\u201d said Jenkins<\/p>\n

Hodges had some advice to aspiring singers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWork hard, pursue you dreams and goals in life. That\u2019s what I\u2019m doing and I\u2019m having a wonderful time! I feel so satisfied following my dreams.\u201d said Hodges.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Taylor Bembery Blue and White Flash \/ Staff Writer \u201cThe Voice of JSU\u201d returned bigger and bolder in its second year as a featured event during Jackson State University\u2019s homecoming activities. The finale took place on Oct. 15, 2012 in the Lee E. Williams Athletics & Assembly Center with featured celebrity judges Kandi Burruss, Ruben […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1418","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-campus-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1418"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1418\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}