Who doesn’t love guys strutting on stage for a prize, especially for a good cause?

That’s exactly what happened this past Thursday. Delta Phi Epsilon put on their annual “Deepher Dude” beauty pageant to support Cystic Fibrosis. Each year the sorority puts on the event to spread awareness of their philanthropy Cystic Fibrosis in a fun way, which ends up raising over $500 for the cause, and it seems like this year was no different given the large turnout. The Vice President of Programming, Kirstin Capasso, loves planning philanthropy events “because it’s a reminder of what [Delta Phi Epsilon] stands for and it makes me so proud to be part of such an amazing organization.”

To start out the event, Delta Phi Epsilon’s Cystic Fibrosis Chairs, Rachel Weiss and Alessia Puoti explained that “Cystic Fibrosis is a progressive, genetic disease that causes persistent lung infections and limits the ability to breathe over time.”

“ More than 30,000 people in the United States alone have CF,” explained Weiss. “Globally, more than 70,000 people are diagnosed with it and there is currently no cure.” 

This years contestants were asked to participate in three rounds: Personality, the Ultimate Deepher Dude, and Formal. While the contestants were showing off their outfits, Kirstin Capasso and Cathryn Neil, both sisters of Delta Phi Epsilon asked contestants fun questions like, “If you were a unicorn, what would your name be and why?” or “What is your best pick-up line?”

Marc Lombardo, a member of Alpha Phi Delta fraternity was a contestant in this year’s pageant. Although he didn’t win, his favorite part of the event was “being around my friends and fellow fraternity and sorority members who came together to support me and my friends.”

The winner of this year’s pageant was Jordan Gibson, who dressed to impress the judges. “You can tell a lot about a person with how they dress,” stated Gibson, “so it’s important to always look your best, even when no one is watching.”

Although winning the pageant was exciting, Gibson believes that having fun is what it is all about. “If you win and didn’t really have fun while doing it, you don’t feel like a winner.”

The positive energy from the crowd and the sisters of Delta Phi Epsilon prove that raising awareness for philanthropies, as many organizations on campus do, can be a fun and rewarding time.

Gibson leaves us with some great advice, “No matter how you feel. Get up, dress up, show up, and never give up.”