Sonoma State University students got the chance to channel their inner Wildcat at “Pop, Lock, Jam and Break,” a virtual dance class and Q/A session with Disney Channel star KayCee Stroth, who played Marth Cox in the world famous movie series “High School Musical” (HSM). Seawolves got to ask their deepest, darkest and most burning questions about HSM and also learned  the choreography to “We’re All In This Together” one of the most well known songs of the series. 

The event was held on Oct. 6 on Zoom from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. This virtual get-together was put together by Emily Hicks, a member of Associated Students (AS) here on campus, and gave students the chance to ask anything they always wanted to know as well as truly learn the dance they grew up seeing on TV. It was a special opportunity for Sonoma State students to really work up a sweat and become their own Troy Bolton. 

“When I was planning this we were in the middle of quarantine and I thought about what would be a new and exciting way to get students moving but still having fun so what’s better than learning the iconic High School Musical dance,” Hicks said. 

Students were engaged and loved being able to take it back to when they were younger for the night. 

“What made me most proud of the event was bringing a new event to the students. We have already overcome so many obstacles this semester and having a program where students could join in and forget about some of those stressors we all have been facing really made it memorable,” said Hicks. The AS team wanted to bring a little fun and entertainment for the school to enjoy themselves. Seawolves got to interact as a community and all were able to bond over something in the midst of online learning.

The event was planned by AS in order to continue to bring the connections from in person to online even if that means belting out some Disney throwbacks. Hicks also commented on working with Stroth and her team to make this event worth wild. “It was a smooth time working Kaycee, her team was very responsive and were easy to communicate with. I was excited to converse with them because I knew students would really like this idea, but never felt any pressure, just excitement to bring this experience to students.”

Questions that the Disney star included: what was her favorite movie to film, who she was closest to on the cast, her favorite song to perform in the movie and even if she wasn’t playing Martha Cox who she would want to play. The Seawolves definitely got a feel into the behind the scenes as well as gained some insight on what it is like to be in the spotlight and on stage. 

Some students were able to ask questions and asked a few of them what their experience was about the event and what it was like to ask someone they used to watch on TV as kids answer their question. When asked, Ashley Hartley, a junior and an Early Childhood major, the impact of High School Musical made on her life, she said, “High School Musical had a huge impact on my childhood! My sister and I were obsessed with the movies she even played with the barbies and even had the HSM sheets!” Talk about a big fan. 

Hartley also talked about how the event went overall. “I had so much fun learning the iconic ‘We Are All In This Together’ dance from KayCee. I have always wanted to learn it growing up, and learning from an actual High School Musical actress was honestly surreal,” she said. Hearing that famous “Pop, Lock, Jam and Break” was definitely everyone’s favorite part and made you feel like you were almost apart of it all. Even with online activities, she thought the event went smoothly and it still was like you were learning the dance in person with little to no technical difficulties. 

The last student asked was Megan Bitler, a sophomore, and she said, “Asking KayCee my first question made me so nervous! I’m normally never one to ask a question because I’m nervous, but I knew I would regret it.”

 Everyone seems to be getting out of their comfort zones this week; at SSU all they had to do was get their head in the game and realize we are all in this together.

 “Working on High School Musical was a dream come true, I was one of the lucky ones, but you still have to work hard at what you want and throw yourself in there and dream big,” said KayCee Stroth as her final few pieces of advice for Seawolves. Sonoma State really got to see an in depth and real view of life behind the screen and we hope to do it more often. For more online and Zoom events check seawolfliving.com and their social media.