Raise Our Voices: Elaine Watson

In our latest Raise Our Voices performance, Blue Star Awards student Elaine Watson shares an inspiring rendition of “Hope” by Emeli Sandé. She chose this piece because it’s a message that she feels needs to be heard—one about having hope, supporting one another and continuing to have tough conversations with loved ones.

“Hope that one day everyone will stop fighting each other for who they love and what they look like,” Elaine said. “Hope that children don’t have to fear for their lives anymore. Hope that humankind doesn’t wait until it’s too late to apologize to Mother Earth. Hope that I’m not the only one willing to fight and dedicate my life to making this world a better place.”

Elaine is a two-time Blue Star Awards nominee and was most recently nominated for Outstanding Actress in a Lead Role for her portrayal of Deloris Van Cartier in Lee Summit North’s production of Sister Act. She also appeared in An Evening With Starlight and has competed in KC Superstar with The Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City as well as Lee’s Summit’s Got Talent. Growing up, Elaine saw a number of shows at Starlight and enjoyed her first concert under the stars—but it wasn’t until the Blue Star Awards that she realized she wanted to be on the Starlight stage one day.

“Music and theatre were my safety nets when I didn’t think I had any,” Elaine said. “Right when I didn’t know where I was going, I realized that I feel most at home when I’m performing.” Elaine hopes to perform and inspire others, and she plans to major in Music Education and/or Musical Theatre but acknowledges that her plans may change. Ultimately, her goal is simply to be happy and positively impact the people around her.

“Love is the most important thing, kindness is the best policy, patience is difficult but worth it, and laughter is the best medicine,” Elaine said. “Empathy is one of the hardest things to practice, but it has the power to change the world. Don’t let privilege make you blind to the injustices toward the people around you.”

While Elaine’s senior year of high school hasn’t been what she originally envisioned, she’s kept busy with online classes, presiding over a theatre club and starting the college application process. Overall, she’s learned that everything happens for a reason—and that helping others is what makes her heart full. Elaine is proud of who she is—and Starlight is proud of her, too! We look forward to celebrating all of her future accomplishments.