Tonight, the Carnegie Mellon Café in Resnik Hall is more than just a place to get a bite to eat. With the soft lighting, casual atmosphere, and a few dozen students clustered around tables, there's a club-like feel. The ambiance is enhanced by the disc jockey. He waves his hand toward a young man. It's showtime for freshman Tyler Hedrick, one of two finalists in a six-week karaoke contest that has been taking place at the café.

Hedrick grabs the microphone and the music begins. It's the Michael Buble tune "Haven't Met You Yet." Swaying to the beat, Hedrick sings along as he follows the teleprompter. Suddenly, for a moment, his voice falters. The audience isn't too hard on him, and Hedrick doesn't get flustered. After all, the computer science major from Cleveland, Ohio, does not aspire to be a professional singer. Earlier in the day, he nearly forgot he would be under the spotlight: "I'd been working on homework all weekend, and I thought, 'Oh, I have that finale tonight.'"

Hedrick wound up as a finalist by chance. Weeks beforehand, he was dining in the café while employees set up for the karaoke competition being hosted by CulinArt, the university's food provider. One of the employees suggested to Hedrick that he give it a try. Nothing to lose. So, he did. The employees filmed him singing and posted it on the competition's Facebook page. Hedrick received enough Facebook votes to be a finalist. Performing before an audience is nothing new for him. In 2010, he played clarinet with the Cleveland Youth Wind Symphony. And on campus he sings with Soundbytes, a student a cappella group.

As he begins his finale song, Howie Day's "Collide," he seems more at ease—singing the song like he wrote it. There isn't a hint of cat-calls this time; when he's done, he receives quite an ovation.

Soon enough, it's back to the books. For the next six days, online voting is open to decide the winner. Bonita Leung, a freshman professional writing and psychology major, edges him out by five votes. But Hedrick isn't too disappointed—there wasn't a recording contract on the line, though the $100 first prize would have been nice. "I'm happy for Bonita," he says graciously. "And, I'm still glad I entered. It was a great way to relieve some stress from studying, singing songs I love."

—Jonathan Barnes (HS'93)