Ella Walters ’28, Beloit Student Government vice-president, kicked off the evening. The first performers were indie rock band GIRL K, a Chicago band headed by singer Kathy Patino, who, with her rise from open-mic singer to full-fledged musician, has emerged as a prominent woman’s voice in indie pop.

Up-and-coming pop artist Madame Reaper, also from Chicago, performed next. Her work — described on her Bandcamp as “vampire synth pop” — has garnered recognition for its uniqueness, drawing on inspirations from both indie electronic music and rock. “The artists they picked were great,” said Keegan DeWitt ’29. “And so was the vibe.”

By the time Reaper took the stage, the festival was in full swing. Students gathered to dance, talk, and mingle. They took pictures in the panoramic photobooth, lit up the night with glowsticks, and enjoyed pizza and chilled soda.

“Powered by Her” is one of many ways that Beloit College upholds its legacy of inclusion. Organizations like the Feminist Collective (FemCo) and Theta Pi Gamma have consistently worked to promote awareness of women’s issues on campus. Between artists, Walters shared women’s history at Beloit College — like the establishment of Emerson Hall in 1897 as the first women’s dorm after the college became coed in 1895 — and the challenges they faced.

“The festival elevated women’s voices,” said Alivia Renteria ’29. “Making it a women’s space was a really good choice.”

The final performer of the night was Lady Omisha, a Madison-based D.J. whose electronic dance music was the perfect ending to an event that symbolized how campus strives to represent women.