On December 24, Saint Charles East senior Mary Kate Schoessling got the opportunity to sing the national anthem at the Chicago Bears versus Arizona Cardinals game. Over 500 people entered the Chicago Bears National Anthem Contest.
Two weeks after Schoessling entered the competition, she found out she had placed in the top 10. On November 14, the 10 remaining contestants sang the anthem twice in front of 10 judges. On November 23, Schoessling found out she would be singing the national anthem on Christmas Eve at the Bears versus Cardinals game.
Schoessling loves to sing and perform in front of people. When she entered the stadium, she said “OMG this is real, OMG it’s actually happening.” Singing in front of more than 60 thousand people made her feel more excited than nervous. That day was one of the best days of her life, said Schoessling.
Throughout it all, Schoessling’s favorite part of the experience was when she hit the high note on the word “free.” There was a small pause after this, during which Schoessling could hear everyone cheering. It made her really excited and happy, she said. According to Schoessling, if this opportunity presented itself again, she would 100 percent do it. The Chicago Bears have already booked her for next season. She also started submitting auditions to other sports teams as well.
Schoessling is planning to continue her music journey after high school. She wants to major in musical theater in college and hopefully be on Broadway at some point in her life, she said. She is also involved in the theater department and music department at East.
Schoessling’s advice to anyone who is interested in singing or music is: “It’s about not letting anyone get to you. Believe in yourself and [be] really confident in your sound and singing (even if you don’t think that you are).” Schoessling doesn’t let anyone bring her down and is confident in herself and her voice and that’s what brought her to singing the national anthem at the Christmas Eve Bears versus Cardinals game in 2023.
