Uncertainty amid pandemic inspiration behind winning song in UWF’s Songs of Impact contest

Unable to fall asleep as the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic weighed on her, University of West Florida senior mathematics major Delaney Beal decided to clear her mind by jotting down a few lyrics. As it turns out, those lyrics resonated with a significant number of voters in the UWF Songs of Impact contest. 

Inspired to support their fellow Argonauts amid COVID-19, the UWF community answered the call through Songs of Impact. For three weeks in June, the public voted on their favorite songs and donated to UWF initiatives that help students in need. Beal and her boyfriend Nathan Keeton, a junior management information systems major, placed first with 1,221 votes for their inspirational song, “Home is Where the Heart is.” 

“One night I couldn’t sleep and I wanted to write a song, and I thought, well, there’s that Songs of Impact contest, so I’ll try to write an impactful song,” Beal said. “It was right at the start of coronavirus and everything was up in the air. Some friends we’re connected with at UWF and Baptist Collegiate Ministries had to go back home, and UWF is like a second home so that’s what made me think of the song. Home is where your heart is, not necessarily a specific place. I wrote it in about 15 minutes.”

Beal and Keeton share a passion for music rooted in their upbringings as pastors’ kids. Both serve on worship teams at Circle Community Church, where her father is the lead pastor, and Solomon’s Porch, where his father is the lead pastor. As the grand prize winners, the couple earn an opportunity to perform “Home is Where the Heart is” at UWF Homecoming, free studio time at the WUWF recording studio to professionally record their song, the possibility of their song being distributed to WUWF listenership or used in UWF promotional items, and a $300 gift card to the UWF Bookstore.

Tilden Whitfield, a UWF alumnus and program specialist for the Office of Student Retention Initiatives, performed a duet with his wife, Thapelo, to finish second with 689 votes for their song, “We Can Be.” The couple earned a $100 gift card to the UWF Bookstore. Music major Tris Weeks earned a $50 UWF Bookstore gift card for placing third with 671 votes for her cover of “Stick Together” by Staying Apart.

The three prize-winning entries beat out an impressive field of competitors. UWF received more than 50 submissions from faculty, staff, students and alumni after the call to submit songs and lyrics went out in April. After thorough vetting, 25 submissions advanced to the voting phase. The Songs of Impact campaign generated more than 6,300 votes from the public.

“We listened to all the people and saw there were some pretty talented people in the competition that we were intimidated by,” Keeton said. “Everyone we heard back from, though, said they loved our song, which surprised me.”

The winning couple chose the Student Emergency Relief Fund as their cause for the public to support. Other UWF initiatives chosen by those who submitted music included Argo Pantry and scholarship funds.

To learn more about the winners and to watch their videos, visit uwf.edu/songsofimpact.