The Alpha Kingdom of the Melodic Stepping Experience showcased its new members on Friday at The Venue on North Monroe Street through a new tradition of a graduation.
All across social media accounts, students have noticed pages with the profile picture of a black and white “O.” Almost every student at FAMU knew it was students going through a process to become a member of an organization. Normally, after a certain time, prospective members are then acknowledged as members of MSE without any public recognition until their next performance.
The “mom” and “dad,” who were Leondra Ware and Trevor McKenzie, were over the new members. They decided it was time for a change and wanted to showcase what the members had learned over the course of the fall semester.
“MSE has never done a public showcase to bring in new members. The Omicron was ‘The Standard’ we set. We wanted to show them to always go above and beyond, get outside of your shell and set the bar for others to follow,” Ware, mom of the Omicron Klass of MSE, said.
Ware and McKenzie solidified the location, the expenses for their outfits, and spreading the word so others could attend. The graduation was a success in the end, as members from all over came to celebrate a new tradition brought to MSE.
“It was amazing, all the attention was on my siblings and I and we loved it. At first, I was nervous because I didn’t know what the crowd would be like but then once I saw the crowd I was like, OK, bet,” Jarius Pleasant, Omicron Klass member of MSE, said.
The new members of the klass, were excited because this process took up a chunk of the fall semester. The majority of the class was freshman, and the baby Rattlers learned how to prioritize to keep their studies first before heading to practice for MSE.
“One thing my class parents pushed was making sure we were good with school. So even if that meant we had practice late and stayed up later to do homework or study we had to make that sacrifice to be the best,” Pleasant said.
For the Melodic Stepping Experience, it was more than just teaching step and chants to their new members. During the process, Ware and McKenzie piloted professional seminars to teach them what was in store for them and how they should act in a certain setting. They also attended health seminars and events held by churches in the community. The mom and dad dedicated their time during the fall semester to successfully prepare the Omicron Klass for the future in the organization and for their future post-graduation.
To learn about MSE events and performances from on social media, go to @mse.alpha on Instagram.