Under the colored lights of the Orange & Brew stage, Nilson Ramirez told a crowd of about 50 that he still loved his second-grade teacher.
“If God chose tonight to bleach my life, she would still be the highlight of it,” he pined.
The UF junior recited a self-penned, semi-serious poem about love and education as part of UF Campus Advent’s first annual Spiritual Jazz Lounge.
Campus Advent is a student group associated with the Seventh-Day Adventist church.
According to master of ceremonies Paola Ortega, the show was about combining an open mic atmosphere and a God-centered message.
“We just wanted to have a way for people to express their God-given talents,” she said.
UF junior and Jazz Lounge organizer Lecelle Clarke said that as a huge fan of jazz and its artistic approach, she thought it would be a creative way of getting Campus Advent’s name out there.
Performers were recruited by a committee of Campus Advent members, with one criterion at the center of the process.
“It had to be a positive message,” Clarke said.
Ramirez recited two poems, the aforementioned ballad about his unrequited love for one Ms. De Leon and another about growing up with his mother’s caring love.
An a capella hymn, two Spanish guitar solos and a Gospel-infused saxophone solo kept the night moving, as audience members raised their hands and snapped their fingers to show their appreciation.
Ortega was happy that the night fit right in with the idea of Campus Advent.
“Our purpose is to minister and be able to reach out to students,” she said.
