Dropping Game Recap (Camden,NJ)
Written by - Amirah Kane-Waheed
When it comes to telling the story of Camden’s youth, outsiders fail at spotlighting the rising stars who are striving to change the narrative. ICreate Productions hosted a mock grant proposal at the Dropping Game Experience, where Mayor Victor "Vic" Carstarphen and Troy Oglesby evaluated a panel of Creative Arts High School students.
The superstar students answered thought-provoking questions that challenged them to provide educated responses, charisma, and character to the stage. With his D.P.P.E. plan, Prodigy Games owner David Barnes gave some tips on being a successful business owner.
In addition to thinking about their dreams and planning to achieve them, he encouraged students to protect their plans against possible roadblocks and execute their vision confidently and authentically. The chief of the Camden Fire Department, Michael Harper, also spoke with students about the importance of voting and being a leader in their community.
The panel of students answered various questions regarding social issues, success, and their perspectives on the impact of money during the mock proposal. The judges considered clearness and pronunciation, delivery, thoughtfulness, clarity, and the quality of the answers when grading the students.
Each student had the opportunity to compete for a chance at winning a $1,000,000 grant to help their start-up business succeed. Each student was judged on a scale from one to five in each category.
The winner of the competition was Semaj, a sophomore at Creative Arts. His delivery was strong, and he made some excellent and valid points about how he defines success. In his victory speech, he said, "It wasn't about me winning; it was about me breaking out of my shell." His reward wasn't a $1,000,000 grant, but he did receive a $50 Visa gift card from ICreate Productions LLC.
We would like to send a special shoutout to Justin DeGuzman, Muntasir Smith, Kenny Savage, David Barnes, and Leo Vega for hosting such a fantastic night of networking and inspiration.
Overall, the event allowed the students to shine and be recognized for something positive. The producer RoBB performed an exclusively unreleased song of his called Momma House. Camden artist Fre$ko also attended the event.
ICreate Productions gave these rising stars the knowledge and confidence they needed to go further in life.
Thank you for capturing the essence of the event. Phenomenal coverage!
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