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