Presented by the DCTC Music Club and DCTC Rotaract Club
Charlotte Kodner and Pat Lair
The Music Club and Rotaract Club at Dakota County Technical College presented the college’s first-ever talent show—DCTC Has Got Talent—Thursday afternoon, May 1, 2025, in the Student Life Center on the DCTC campus in Rosemount, Minnesota.
The event was a competition for DCTC students who wished to showcase their individual talents, musical, artistic, and more. Pat Lair, retired director of student success and 2013 Spirit of DCTC Award winner, and Charlotte Kodner, retired office careers faculty and 2010 Minnesota State College Student Association (MSCSA) Instructor of the Year, served as the talent show’s judges.
Landon Cavalier, an Electrical Construction & Maintenance Technology major, took first place and was awarded a $300 scholarship. Landon played acoustic guitar and sang the Johnny Cash song, “Folsom Prison Blues.”
Allyka Faye Lianza, an Information Systems Technology major who will be starting the Medical Assistant program next year, took second place and was awarded a $200 scholarship. Allyka Faye played electric guitar and sang a song she wrote called “Alone.”
Thomas Soriano-Garcia, a 2025 graduate of the Automotive Service Technology program, took third place and was awarded a $100 scholarship. Thomas gave a speech titled “Leap of Faith” he would later give at the DCTC Commencement Ceremony on May 8 at TCO Stadium.
“It was so impressive how supportive and excited the student body was as performers came on stage,” said Brett Kolles, English faculty and Rotaract Club faculty co-advisor. “There were standing ovations, clapping, and even people singing along. The excitement in the room was very spirited. You felt the energy as soon as you came in. There was a plethora of different talents exhibited. Each student performer showcased something unique that was very important to them. This was the first ever of its kind, and I strongly suspect it will continue.”
DCTC Has Got Talent winners
Landon Cavalier
Landon Cavalier
First Place
$300 Scholarship
Talent Show Performance: Johnny Cash song, “Folsom Prison Blues” — sang and played acoustic guitar
Landon noted that he and a few of his fellow musicians like to play “Folsom Prison Blues” with a bit of a funkier flow, which is how he played the song at the talent show.
“I was at an open mic night a couple years ago and said that we should play that song,” he reported. “My dad, who plays drums, started playing more of a funk beat on the drums, and the rest of us just followed along. I play the song like that every time now.”
Age: 19
Hometown: Hastings, Minnesota
Current residence: Hastings, Minnesota
High school and year graduated: Homeschooled
DCTC major: Electrical Construction & Maintenance Technology A.A.S.
DCTC scheduled graduation date: May 2026
Career plans: Working in the electrical field with the goal of eventually owning his own company and being able to work for himself and his fiancée, who is also taking this electrical program. Continuing live music as well.
What advice would you give students thinking about performing live in front of an audience for the first time?
“Practice practice practice, until you feel confident/comfortable in what you’re doing—and then just go out there and do it. You will never be perfect, so just go start playing. You’ll never get everyone to like you, but as long as you try, there will be people that will support you, and you will always get better with time. You have to start somewhere, so just go start. It took me almost a decade of playing live to be confident on stage, so just go play, and keep playing until you figure out what works for you—and then keep doing that. God is good!”
About your DCTC Has Got Talent experience…
“It was super fun to be able to kind of bring together two big parts of my life: being an electrician and being a musician. I always enjoy performing, so it was fun to do that in a bit of a different setting.”
Landon Cavalier
Electrical Construction & Maintenance Technology Major
Dakota County Technical College
Allyka Faye Lianza
Allyka Faye Lianza
Second place
$200 Scholarship
Talent Show Performance: Her own composition, a song about homesickness titled “Alone” — sang and played electric guitar
Age: 18
Hometown: Cebu City, Philippines (moved to Minnesota last May 2024)
Current residence: Lakeville, Minnesota
High school and year graduated: Asian College of Technology, Cebu, Philippines, Class of 2024
DCTC major: Information Systems Management A.A.S; starting Medical Assistant program next school year
DCTC scheduled graduation date: May 2026
DCTC extracurricular activities: Music Club co-director, lead student ambassador, Multicultural Student Leadership Association (MSLA) president, cultural liaison, Student Senate Executive Board co-vice president
Career plans: Business or medical field; looking forward to pursuing music career in the future
What advice would you give students thinking about performing live in front of an audience for the first time?
“Bloom like a flower, Shine like a star! If you have thought about performing live for the first time, go for it. No performance is perfect, but the best performance is made when you go up there, believing in yourself, and show the world who you truly are.”
About your DCTC Has Got Talent experience…
“With just my voice, a guitar, and a racing heartbeat, I stepped into the stage, and found that sometimes, the most beautiful notes are born from a little bit of fear and a lot of heart.”
Allyka Faye Lianza
Information Systems Technology Major
Future Medical Assistant Major
DCTC Music Club Co-Director
DCTC MSLA President
Cultural Liaison
Lead Student Ambassador
DCTC Student Senate Executive Board Co-Vice President
Dakota County Technical College
Thomas Soriano-Garcia
Thomas Soriano-Garcia
Third Place
$100 Scholarship
Talent Show Performance: DCTC Commencement Class of 2025 student speaker speech: “Leap of Faith”
Age: 19
Hometown: Burnsville, Minnesota
Current residence: Burnsville, Minnesota
High school and year graduated: Burnsville High School, Class of 2023
DCTC major (program and degree): Automotive Service Technology A.A.S.
DCTC graduation: Class of 2025
DCTC extracurricular activities: Student Senate VP, Rotaract Club, Outreach and Activities Committee, TRIO/SSS, Student Ambassador
Career plans: Work as a service technician at an independent repair or fleet repair facility
What advice would you give students thinking about performing live in front of an audience for the first time?
“Advice I would give students would be to never give up—no matter how hard it may seems at times. All it takes is belief in ourselves.”
About your DCTC Has Got Talent experience…
“Participating in DCTC Has Got Talent was an amazing opportunity to express myself in front of so many people. It was a very freeing experience that helped me build my public speaking skills. I am very grateful I was given the opportunity to perform.”
Thomas Soriano-Garcia
Automotive Service Technology Major
Dakota County Technical College Alumnus Class of 2025
DCTC Has Got Talent 2025 gallery
View more event photos by opening the DCTC Flickr album:
DCTC Has Got Talent Spring 2025
Learn more about DCTC Has Got Talent, Rotaract Club, and Music Club at DCTC by contacting:
Brett Kolles, MA
English Faculty
Rotaract Club Faculty Co-Advisor
Dakota County Technical College
brett.kolles@dctc.edu
651-423-8395
Rocky Hyberger
Computer Technology Support Faculty
Music Club Faculty Co-Advisor
IT Club Faculty Advisor
Dakota County Technical College
rocky.hyberger@dctc.edu
651-423-8385
Learn more about attending DCTC by contacting:
Admissions
admissions@dctc.edu
651-423-8266
Room 2-110
