Senior Joseph Short has traveled to South Korea twice as part of the International Business Program since coming to MSU, but it was a weekend trip to "The Big Easy" that inspired the marketing major to pursue his more musical side.
Short and some friends were at Voodoo Fest in New Orleans when he became intrigued with the deejaying skills of the Toronto-based electronic music group MSTRKRFT, which was playing an after-party for the fall music festival.
Inspired by their skills, he invested in some equipment and began mixing his own tunes on his laptop. It wasn't long before he had developed a dedicated local following. A year later, he has become a regular fixture on Friday nights at the State Theater, where he keeps the dance floor filled with his dance mixes.
"Being able to lose myself in deejaying and mixing music gives me somewhat of a release from being immersed in the world of business, marketing and numbers. It's a way to just let go," Short said. "It is also opening a lot of doors for me and has helped me come out of my shell somewhat. If you can get up and play in front of 900 people and keep them moving and interested, there's not much you can't do."