Burleson Hometown Heros
Kelly Clarkson
Known as the FIRST (2002) winner of the American Idol contest, Kelly Clarkson is a renowned pop vocalist and actress. She was born on April 24, 1982, in Burleson, Texas. Her path to stardom was inspired by a teacher at Pauline Hughes Middle School, who recognized Clarkson’s talent and encouraged her to join the choir. Clarkson was also a member of the Texas All-State Choir.
After graduating from high school, she recorded several independent demos, but did not have much luck marketing herself to record labels. She decided to head west to Los Angeles.
After several odd jobs and work as an extra on television, Clarkson decided to move back home where she found work as a promoter for Red Bull energy drinks. Her dream to become a performer was not undaunted, and she signed up to be on American Idol, a new television show where the public would vote for the winner.
Out of 10,000 contestants, Clarkson amazed the judges and found herself among the final 30 contestants. Kelly Clarkson won the American Idol contest on September 4, 2002, earning 58 percent of the vote over Justin Guarini, the other finalist. Her official prize was a million-dollar RCA record contract. Her first album featured the Billboard number one single, “A Moment Like This.” Her second album, Breakaway, was released in November 2004. Clarkson has also starred in her own movie, From Justin to Kelly.
Stacey Sykora
Burleson resident Stacy Sykora is a two-time U.S. Olympic volleyball team member (2000 and 2004), a winner of the 2003 World Cup (bronze), and winner of the 2002 Women’s Volleyball World Championships (silver). She plays the position of libero, considered one of the most demanding positions in volleyball. As libero, Sykora’s job is to stop the opposing team’s serve and spike attempts.
Some of her career highlights include:
• Top Digger in 2004 Olympics
• Earned “Best Digger” honors at the Montreux Volley Masters, 2003
• Played professionally for Starfin Ravenna in Italy’s Serie A1, 2002
• Placed second at the 2000 Olympic Games with 123 digs, including a career-high 26 digs against Korea in the five-set quarterfinal victory
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