Student former contender for Penguins National Anthem

Her passion for singing started at three-years-old.

She picked up the hymnbook in church one Sunday and from there her love for singing took off.

She performed in church groups and chorus through her schooling. Even here at Waynesburg, she partakes in the various musical groups on campus.

Taking advantage of every opportunity that came her way, Heidi Dziak made sure to give it everything she had.

Most recently for this sophomore accounting major, Dziak was selected as a finalist to sing the National Anthem in this year’s Kraft Hockeyville.

The preseason Penguins game originally scheduled to play at the winning arena of that contest, the Rostraver Ice Garden, is now being played at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex on Sept. 24.

Here the winner would get the opportunity to sing the anthem for those in attendance and also on NBCSN’s broadcast.

“I always thought that it would be cool to sing for the Pirates or the Penguins or even the Steelers,” said Dziak. “Just to be able to say that I did that.”

Dziak said she found out about the contest from a friend who mentioned that Kraft Hockeyville was running a Facebook contest where people could submit a video of them singing the anthem to enter.

Anyone from the age of twelve to twenty-seven could enter. Dziak said she waited till the last second, but made sure that she entered.

Two weeks after submitting the video, she was chosen as one of ten finalist who would then move onto an in person audition.

On Sept 6, Dziak made her way to the Hard Rock Café in Pittsburgh, a venue that she said as really fun just to be at.

“I love rock and roll and it was really cool to learn about the venue,” said Dziak.

While there, Dziak had the opportunity to sing a song of her choice acapella style in front of the panel of judges.

I sang ‘Someone like you’ by Adele,” said Dziak. “I get compared to Adele a lot, so she’s my main woman.”

One of the judges was Jeff Jimerson, the Pittsburgh Penguin’s own national anthem singer for games.

Dziak is no stranger to singing the anthem. She has performed it at every one of her high school sporting events, in addition to also singing for the Washington WildThings a few times.

Most notably, she was chosen after auditioning to sing for the Future Business Leaders of America State Finals in 2016 in front of over 6,000 people.

Going up against others her age in the in-person audition, Dziak was chosen to go first in front of the other contestants.

“With my lovely luck I got to go first,” said Dziak. “Of course I was nervous.”

Despite giving it her all, Dziak was not chosen. From the 10 who tried out, 3 were chosen to move onto another round where they would have to sing the anthem in person for the panel of judges.

Though a little upset over not winning, Dziak doesn’t mind and it won’t stop her from continuing her passion for singing.