The buzzer sounds, and the bleachers erupt with applause— once for the victory over Cornerstone’s Men’s basketball team, then a second time for the blue-shirted staff and faculty members who hurry onto the court. They take their positions on either side of the K-Pop Dance Club. At the center of it all, Scott Hopkins stands as a lead dancer and as the one who brought everyone together for this moment. 

On February 18, 2026, Scott and his crew enlisted the help of 12 performers (three coaches, two faculty members, and seven staff members) to uplift the whole community through dance. They performed the song “Soda Pop” by the Saja Boys during the halftime show at the Men’s basketball game against cross-town rival Cornerstone University. 

They raised over $1,500 in charitable donations for K2 GlobeAthlete, a Chicago-based nonprofit supporting international student athletes. This was a powerful demonstration of how a single registered student organization (RSO) can bring the whole community together to support a cause. 

How the Faculty and Staff Performance Connected All Corners of Campus 
The event was a success from the original brainstorm to the final dance move!

The idea of including staff and faculty in a dance originated with Brigid Avery, the Director of Career Engaged Learning, head of the AQ Advantage Center, and “one of the best people ever,” according to Scott (and many others). From that idea, Scott took the initiative and brought this event to life.  

He started by emailing all Aquinas staff and faculty, which turned into nearly 500 personalized emails. Interest fluctuated at first, but he eventually found his performers: Briana Asmus from the Education department, Kim Gonzalez in student accounts, Yesenia Bernal-Alcala in TRIO SSS, Chris Asplund from Campus Safety, Makennah Rousseau in Admissions, Mae Rickey from the Advantage Center, Head Swim and Dive Coach Kristy Hepp, head Cheer and Stunt Coaches Sue Smith and Jessica Trefrey, Hannah Bechtold in International Programs, and Kerri Orders in the Business Department. 

He pulled his team together from across campus and convinced them to commit their time and energy—already a huge accomplishment. That they came together, practiced, and brought the performance to life illustrates the depth of care that Scott had for his team and the level of dedication Aquinas employees have for their students. This team met and practiced regularly, even through cold weather and snow days. They took care to adjust for class schedules. And they brought their teammates up to speed when the times just didn’t align. 

Each person showed up excited to learn and support Scott’s cause. “That was the best part, by the way,” said Scott. “They all had so much fun, not just me.”

From a marketing standpoint, the team did everything they could to get the word out. They printed and hand-delivered flyers, danced at faculty and staff assemblies, partnered with local alumni business Third Coast Printing to create their shirts, and so much more. Leading up to the event, Scott managed to snag an interview with WOOD TV8, one of the largest news stations in Grand Rapids. 

He even visited the Sisters in the Dominican Center Marywood on Aquinas’ campus to extend an invitation. When asked about that visit, he shared how excited they were to support his cause. He explained, “They’re charitable, amazing women. So basically, I’m just trying to connect everyone. That’s the goal of this: connecting the Asian Community, local parishes, local volleyball officials, the Dominican Sisters, the campus community, WoodTV, all of it!” 

On the day of the event, the K-Pop Dance Club also offered prizes that encouraged campus-wide attendance. They partnered with local Asian Businesses, KCM and Hoshi Hoshi Bubble Tea & Crepes, to be prizes. “There was a giveaway for the first 100 fans. We gave away Korean soda pop because we were dancing to ‘Soda Pop.’ And we had different varieties: peach, strawberry, melon, grape, and the original flavor. Incentives matter. As a business major, that’s the most important thing, incentives.” 

This widespread advocacy soon inspired greater involvement. In addition to the Basketball games and K-Pop performance, the Center for Sustainability at Aquinas ran its own event to educate the audience on the proper way to recycle, compost, and Terracycle— meaning no Korean soda cans ended up in the trash! 

Best of all, the crowd loved every minute of it! Even though only 12 Aquinas employees participated in the dance, plenty were cheering on from the sidelines, including dozens of faculty, staff, and students. Athletics reports it was the highest attendance of any home game this season.  

 

 

Building a Culture of Connection at Aquinas
Scott is quick to point out that the success wasn’t his alone. Much of the credit, he says, belongs to the student members of his club who played a major role behind the scenes. There are around ten members total in the K-Pop Dance Club, but only five (including Scott) regularly perform live:  

Madeline Meeter is the club’s vice president. She’s currently a junior, and she was responsible for designing all the flyers for this and past events on Canva, as well as helping plan the event logistically. “I couldn’t have done this without her,” said Scott. 

Anna Nguyen received similar praise. According to Scott, she is the best dancer on their team and is frequently placed in the center position. She’s studying the sciences and is “super smart, really good at everything.” 

The group also has two freshmen whom Scott recruited this year: Farae Wilson and Isabella Wirwelle. Farae is from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, and is currently majoring in political science and participating in theatre. “She’s very involved in the school, as well. She’s the leader of VIBE, one of our clubs on campus for African American Students.” 

Isabella is a STEM scholar, and Scott had the pleasure of guiding her tour while she was still in the college-search process. “She was in my group. I was telling her mom about the K-Pop Club, and she liked K-Pop. So I was like, okay, you need to be a part of the club.” 

Together, the group reflects a mix of backgrounds, majors, and interests that keep the club dynamic. But the heart of the K-Pop Dance Club is the sense of connection members build with one another. Scott makes sure that every member is engaged in fun, and this means that the club is open to those who prefer to cheer from the sidelines. 

The group regularly ventures off campus to support local Korean and Asian businesses around Grand Rapids while also building in a little team bonding. Their favorite locations include Karaoke at K-Rock, Boba outings, and cultural food experiences. 

On stage, Scott takes the lead in learning new K-Pop songs, choreographing them, then teaching the rest of the group. “We all do the counts. Then, we slow the music down, things like that,” Scott explains. Usually, “there’s a content day where we learn the choreography and get used to it. Then, we have to learn positioning, where we have the members get in the right spot. I want to make sure there is proper center distribution. In K-Pop, that’s very important, just making sure everyone has their moment.” 

Over the last four years, the K-Pop Dance Club has performed at various events, both on and off campus— everything from cafeteria performances and Aquinas’ Global Food Festival to a GRCC multicultural event and the Grand Rapids Asian Pacific Festival. Many of these events have even become an annual tradition for the club. 

One of Scott’s favorites was the Lantern Festival at John Ball Zoo. “We performed 15 times because we had free rein to do it whenever we wanted. So, we had three dances, and we performed them all five times,” Scott laughed. “And then, we did the same thing in the following week, 15 times with our songs.” 

Although they were offered payment for these performances, Scott and his team chose instead to request free tickets for the student body at Aquinas. For him, it was more important that his fellow Saints had the opportunity to visit the Lantern Festival than it was to accept payment for the club’s dancing. 

A Foundation for Leadership That Will Last Well Beyond Graduation 
Thinking back to his own early college moments, Scott expressed how simple it was to start this RSO. “It was actually easier to do it here than in my high school,” he shared. All you need to start an RSO at Aquinas is three people and an advisor, which means that — no matter how niche your interests are — you can still create communities around them. 

Student organizations are huge resume builders, though they often receive little attention compared to other opportunities like research or internships. But with four years of the K-Pop Dance Club under his belt, Scott now has significant experience in event planning, marketing, budgeting, and leadership development, alongside many additional transferable skills from his business classes. And he has put those skills to use, raising money for real charity organizations like K2 GlobeAthlete. 

Scott will carry this valuable experience well past graduation. He will seek out and create new opportunities. And he will continue fostering community wherever life takes him. 

“I just want for all the people that are coming in to realize they can start a club, no matter what it is, even if it’s as unique as K-Pop,” shared Scott. Here at Aquinas College, anything is possible. Anyone can create something from scratch, then find opportunities to involve the whole community.