On March 18th, 2026, seven male students took to the stage to show off their talents in the quest to become the next Mr. Salem. A tradition that is almost as old as the school itself, Mr. Salem, known as SunDevil Stars for a short period of time, is an annual talent show where contestants compete for the crown, the title, and the ultimate bragging rights.
This year, the contestants were sophomore Hayden Genkinger, juniors Ty Beisser, Junior Cruz, John Diwa, Gabriel Lugo, Logan Smith, and senior Nyles Deloatch. Now, get to know the students who were competing for Mr. Salem.
Sophomore Hayden Genkinger
Q: What is your talent?
A: I am going to read a book with a sock puppet [named] Socky.
Q: What made you want to do Mr. Salem?
A: Ms. Hakim recommended me because she thought I was funny and very outgoing.
Q: What was it like working with all of the other contestants?
A: It was really fun, everyone was really nice and cool, and just good to be around.
Q: Is there any advice you would give to someone who wants to do this next year?
A: Chillax and do your thing!
Junior Ty Beisser
Q: What is your talent?
A: My talent is going up on the stage and hitting the “Cotton Eyed Joe”.
Q: What made you want to do Mr. Salem?
A: [The reason] I wanted to do Mr. Salem was the enthusiastic support from my SCA advisors and something fun to do.
Q: What was it like working with all of the other contestants?
A: Working with the other contestants was very rewarding. They are all super talented and great people who I’ve been glad to work with in this process.
Q: Is there any advice you would give to someone who wants to do this next year?
A: Some advice that I would give to someone wanting to do Mr. Salem next year would be to practice and know your talent.
Q: Anything else you would like to share?
A: Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there!
Junior Junior Cruz
People’s Choice Winner
Q: What is your talent?
A: My talent is dancing, and with my dancing, I can express my feelings and emotions.
Q: What made you want to do Mr. Salem?
A: I wanted to do Mr. Salem to lead my community and make a name.
Q: What was it like working with all of the other contestants?
A: It was fun working with others, and everyone supported each other.
Q: Is there any advice you would give to someone who wants to do this next year?
A: Be confident, stay involved, and be yourself.
Q: Anything else you would like to share?
A: I am proud to be [a part of this] and to represent my school and community.
Junior John Diwa
Q: What is your talent?
A: My talent is a Taco Bell Mukbang, which means eating Taco Bell, and a squishy ASMR.
Q: What made you want to do Mr. Salem?
A: I wanted to do Mr. Salem because I am involved in SCA. I was excited when I saw we were having a Mr. Salem competition because it felt more geared towards the male student population.
Q: What was it like working with all of the other contestants?
A: It was the most fun that I have ever had. Everyone is so nice and funny, and, in my opinion, the people who signed up were the funniest people in the school. It was extremely refreshing to get to know them and see them outside of the classroom setting.
Q: Is there any advice you would give to someone who wants to do this next year?
A: Just have fun, because the whole process is about “showing off” and doing your talent.
Q: Anything else you would like to share?
A: I am encouraging more boys to sign up next year to increase the audience.
Junior Gabriel Lugo
Faculty’s Choice Winner
Q: What is your talent?
A: I am doing comedy.
Q: What made you want to do Mr. Salem?
A: I thought it would be a great experience for me, and I wanted to step out of my comfort zone.
Q: What was it like working with all of the other contestants?
A: It was really fun to be able to work with everyone. We all have different personalities that blend together in a unique way and have great comradery between each other.
Q: Is there any advice you would give to someone who wants to do this next year?
A: Just go for it and don’t be afraid to try new things. It’s okay to be weird and be the kid that steps out of the box to show who you truly are.
Q: Anything else you would like to share?
A: I would like to thank ADC and SCA for helping us put on this show and giving us the opportunity to perform and show our SunDevil pride.
Junior Logan Smith
Mr. Congeniality Winner
Q: What is your talent?
A: My talent is really, really bad comedy, and then human weightlifting.
Q: What made you want to do Mr. Salem?
A: What made me want to do Mr. Salem was all the people saying to do it, so I did it for them.
Q: What was it like working with all of the other contestants?
A: All the other contestants were really fun to work with, and it was a really easy process.
Q: Is there any advice you would give to someone who wants to do this next year?
A: Know your talent. If you want to do it, you have to have a good talent that will guarantee your victory.
Q: Anything else you would like to share?
A: Don’t be embarrassed, anyone can do it and have fun.
Senior Nyles Deloatch
Q: What is your talent?
A: I am going to sing “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong with my friend Dani accompanying me on the saxophone.
Q: What made you want to do Mr. Salem?
A: I have attended Mr. Salem all throughout high school and enjoyed it, and now, as SCA Secretary, I have had the opportunity to participate.
Q: What was it like working with all of the other contestants?
A: It was great meeting new people and working together with my friends to make Mr. Salem possible.
Q: Is there any advice you would give to someone who wants to do this next year?
A: Have fun, be yourself, and don’t be afraid to be goofy.
These students showed that it is perfectly okay to be authentically themselves, and they all encourage participation and attendance for next year. Congratulations to the winner, this year’s Mr. Salem: Logan Smith. Thank all of you for showing SunDevil pride and doing your best.
