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SingStrong Behind-the-Scenes: Stephanie McKenna

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Natalie Hunter
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Adelphi chapter.

With SingStrong New York being only a couple of days away, we got the opportunity to inverview Paws and Rewind’s president Stephanie McKenna. She gave us the inside scoop of what it’s like to be involved with running a festival as huge as SingStrong as well as being president of Adelphi’s renowned a cappella group, Paws and Rewind.

 

Her Campus Adelphi: How did Paws and Rewind get involved with SingStrong?

Stephanie McKenna: Paws and Rewind became involved with SingStrong through Blue Jupiter. Blue Jupiter came to Adelphi for a performance, and we were lucky enough to get a coaching with them, and thats when they informed us of this amazing event.

HCA: How have you guys helped so far in setting up the event?

SM: We have done our best to advertise to friends, family, peers, classmates, etc, to come out and be a part of this awesome experience. We look forward to continuing to be a big help during the weekend of SingStrong.

HCA: What will P&R be doing during the event?
 
SM: Paws and Rewind will be helping out wherever it is needed in areas such as merchandising, hospitality, VIP, information table, and possibly ushering as well. We want to do all we that can to allow the even to run as smoothly as possible for everyone who will be part of it.
 
HCA: What has been the best part of being involved in SS?
 
SM: The best part about being involved with SingStrong has to be the experience in itself. It is a learning and growing experience. There is a multitude of extremely talented acapella groups and artists who have so much to offer. To be able to witness such talent first hand and even receive a few coachings has to be one of the most memorable experiences.
 
HCA: What have been some challenges in being involved with SS?
 
SM: A challenge that may arise during SingStrong is making sure everything happens in a timely manner. There are so many things to see and do during SingStrong and sometimes we can feel a bit under pressure to make sure everything that is planned gets accomplished. It is a huge event with lots and lots of people and groups but we will be on our toes ready to face any challenges headed our way.
 
HCA: What part of SS are you most looking forward to?
 
SM: I am definitely most looking forward to seeing all of the talented groups and artists perform. Being able to see these performers live, sharing their passion for music, is such a humbling experience.
HCA: What is it like being president of P&R?
 
SM: Being President is definitely a lot of work but it is also extremely fun to be able to be a part of such a unique organization. While I have played an active role in bringing this group together and helping to keep it thriving, there are a few other names I would like to acknowledge as far as the creation of this group and other positive leadership positions. Rohit Singla and I came together two years ago and combined our ideas of what our ideal a cappella group would be, and we made it happen. It was hard work, and of course there are challenges to face, but it is extremely rewarding. Jennifer Kang and Richie Conaway have played very active roles this year as co-music directors.
 
HCA: What are the goals of P&R? What does P&R bring to the Adelphi Community? 
 
SM:The goals of Paws and Rewind are to continue to strive on throughout future years, and perform to best of our ability. Our team camaraderie will continue to motivate our members to fully commit themselves to this organization.
 
HCA: Other than helping bring the first SingStrong to NY, what are some of P&R’s other accomplishments? What else do you hope to accomplish? Is there anything you guys are currently working towards?
 
SM: Other than bringing SingStrong to Long Island, one of Paws and Rewind’s greatest accomplishments is being as successful as they’ve been as an entirely student-run group. P&R is not recognized through the school and we have gained all of our performing opportunities through members of the group. We want to continue to keep our eyes peeled for performing opportunities and achieve recognition throughout Long Island and other universities.
 
HCA: How has it been working with Johnathan to make this event happen?
 
SM: Working with Jonathan has been a wonderful learning experience. We have been informed of things we never thought about before. It is really amazing to get another perspective on performing as an acapella group from someone who has been in the business for quite a long time. Blue Jupiter is an extremely talented group and we could not be more grateful for all of the insight we have gained while working with them.
 
Paws and Rewind have performed gigs for many LI events as well as on campus events. Check them out here! Be sure to join them February 5th-7th for SingStrong New York!
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Adelphi Campus Correspondent. Natalie is a sophomore at Adelphi University where she studies Acting and English passionately. In between her studies, she enjoys jam-packing her schedule through writing for contentBase.co, holding a chair position on the Student Activities Board and shining on the stage in school productions. She loves cats, coffee, fashion and music almost as much as she does writing. Her goal as a journalist is to inspire as many ambitious, young people, like herself, to make the most of their lives as possible.