At the annual Goshen Student Women’s Association (GSWA) Chocolate House on Sunday, participants enjoyed homemade chocolate goodies but also an evening of performances dedicated to celebrating women and the men who support them.
According to Becca Kraybill, a senior, those involved in putting on the Chocolate House — the performers, planners, bakers and announcers — were a mix of GSWA members and volunteers. The event was largely a group effort led by the seniors of GSWA.“The chocolate theme has been a tradition for over a decade,” said Kraybill, who emceed the event with Kate Friesen, a junior.
On the night of the event, Kraybill explained this recurring theme, saying, “Eating chocolate is a way of saying, ‘I am worthy and deserving of this goodness.'”
Admission to the event was $2 each or $3 for a pair, with proceeds going to “Soup of Success,” a job and life skill training program in Elkhart.
Clare Maxwell, a senior, began the program by reading a humorously honest poem, “The World’s Greatest Magician” by Gabriela Garcia Medina. The poem spoke of how women find joy in imagination and the idea of using “magic” to change the world for the better.
Laurel Woodward, a senior, played cello and sang the melody to “Failure” by Laura Marling, as Lydia Yoder, a senior, harmonized with guitar. Although the song had many words about living through life’s “failures,” the chorus line had an empowering theme: “Don’t cry, child. You’ve got so much more to live for … ”
Mara Weaver, Jessie Gotwals and Becca Yoder, all seniors, played and sang to a light folk song about things “girls don’t say.” Their arrangement, complete with guitar, ukelele and strumstick, was based on a popular Internet meme. The song made humorous references to Ryan Gosling, Chris Brown and of course, the dreaded time of the month.
Vasti Rosado, a junior, presented a poem she called “Human.” According to Rosado, the poem represented “her own inner dialogue of struggling with human secular existence.” She brought up issues of distractions, racism and a lack of care for the environment and society — all of which can lead us away from God.
Sophie and Eva Lapp, sisters, read from a children’s book called “Big Sister, Little Sister.” They told the story of two sisters whose love/hate relationship revealed the importance of having a caring sibling.
A sophomore quartet which included Anika Baumgartner, Katrina Evans, Sam Weaver, and Nina Fox concluded the event. Their short but sweet selection, “Kaleidoscope Heart” by Sara Barielles, included choral four-part harmonies. As Bareilles explained during her first performance of “Kaleidoscope Heart, “the idea behind [it] is that we’re all sort of in pieces and broken bits on the inside, but somehow, when you look through them, you still see something beautiful and colorful and magical.”
