The Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Title IX partnered with the Women and Gender Studies department to bring back Elizabethtown College alumna, Nichole Acosta, ‘08.

Acosta visited campus March 14 for an open mic slam poetry night in the Brinser Lecture Room.

Acosta has been doing spoken word since she was 11 years old and took the time that night to share her work with a group of students.

The students in attendance spoke high praise.

“Everyone who read their poems had such a great way with words that impacted me in a unique way,” first-year Kelty Tarvin said.

First-year Hope McQuoid said she thought it was very cool to have an alumna come for this kind of event because she has a personal connection to the College.

“It was cool to have someone who does this as their job and other people who want to share in one space,” McQuoid also said.

Nichole Acosta graduated from Etown in 2009.

The Coordinator of Multicultural Programs, Stephanie Diaz, said she first saw Acosta perform when she was touring Etown as a prospective student.

When they decided to do this event, Diaz said she reached out to Acosta specifically because of that moment and Acosta’s alumni connection to the school.

Acosta said she always knew she had something to say. One of her teachers first encouraged her to do slam poetry and she competed in her teens. She said she ended up in the top 15 of 500 when competing in a slam in 2006.

Acosta introduced herself to the audience as multicultural, queer and diabetic. Much of this impacts her poetry.

She said her sexuality, gender and race are everything, as they translate into all aspects of her life.

Her poetry is about that aspect of human nature and how people treat each other. Her poems related to struggles she’s overcome in the past.

“What the Hell is Love” was a poem about all the bad relationships she had to go through before she finally met the woman who is now her wife.

“Catcalling Your Sister” shared insight on the issue of catcalling and how it affects women.

“Love wherever I can find it is inspiring to me because it seems like in the era of Trump you can find hate almost anywhere, but then when love reveals itself, I’m inspired by that,” Acosta said regarding more positive poem topics.

The Etownian’s assistant features editor, first-year Zoe Williams, took the stage as well during the open mic to share two poems.

Williams said she’s done spoken word poetry since middle school.
According to Williams, the poems she shared were new works she put together since coming to Etown and this open mic night was the first time she’s performed since high school.

She said being back on stage “made [her] realize how much [she] missed it.”

Williams said most of her poetry revolves around introspection and the art of spoken word allows her a medium in which to express.

Those in attendance expressed hope for another event.

“I think lots of students have lots to say but limited opportunity to speak their minds,” Tarvin said.

She said she would definitely prepare her own work to participate in any future open mic nights.

McQuoid also said she hopes there’s another open mic poetry event.
It was her first time attending a poetry open mic night.

“It’s one thing to read [poetry], it’s another to hear is and see it performed,” McQuoid said. She plans to perform as well if there’s another event this year.

“We need to listen more to other people’s stories,” Acosta said in a poem.
It seems like Etown students, both current and past, have a lot to say.