CoNvERSATIoNS WITH star sWaIn by Kelly HeItz
When star swain walked onto the stage at the opening General Session at the 2017 ISPA Conference & Expo , the room was already silent . As support hashtags for tragedies and disasters around the world flashed upon the screen , the entire room entered a moment of silence , honoring those lost and affected . In the back of the room , hundreds of Mandalay bay staff members stood in awe of the warmth and togetHer as one watch Star ’ s entire performance at support of the ISPA community , and as Swain took the pulse . experienceispa . com . To purchase the song or hear more from Star , go to iTunes at itunes . apple . com / us / artist / star-swain / 1139073989 or starswain . com stage , that awe immediately manifested into gratitude because her words and voice rang true to every person from the back to the front of the room .
It ’ s empowering that Swain uses her incredible singing voice to bring people together . Her uplifting words are meant to inspire and unite , which is rare in the world we live in . For this month ’ s Conversations , we talked with Swain about juggling her two passions and how she got started on the inspiring path she is on .
PULSE : What first sparked your love of music ? star swain : Honestly , I can ’ t really say specifically what sparked my love of music because I ’ ve loved it ever since I knew what it was . I ’ ve been singing since I was a young child , but I can say I was first exposed to music in the church .
P : You are also an assistant principal ! How do your students inspire your music ? s : My students add to my inspiration because they are our hope and our future . I think about all that I want them to become and how I want them to feel empowered by what they hear and see me doing . I want my students to know that anything is possible and that I am an example of that .
P : What inspired you to sing the National Anthem at the Lincoln Memorial that day ? s : As we talked inside of the Lincoln Memorial , the acoustics were hard to ignore . The National Anthem was the first song that came to my mind in that moment and in that space . I jokingly mentioned singing it , but I would never have actually done it if my family and friends would not have coerced me to do it , but I ’ m glad I did !
28 PULSE ■ December 2017