“Decided long ago never to walk in someone's shadow:if I fail or if I succeed at least I did as I believe.” Whitney Houston. She did exactly that pushing her voice and not walking in her relatives shadow. She went off on a path of her own pushing the boundaries farther than anyone could imagine. Whitney Houston is my hero because of her tremendous talent, charity work, and because she kept her faith through the hard times.

Whitney Houston had tremendous talent and was also the most awarded female artist of all time. She also is one of the bestselling artist, selling over two hundred million records worldwide. All of her albums have diamond, multi-platinum, platinum,or gold certification. She is the only artist to have seven consecutive No.1 Billboard Hot 100’s. Her voice was a mezzo-soprano and her voice was called “The Voice” in reference to her extreme vocal talent. Whitney Houston was third on the list of MTV’s list of twenty-two greatest voices. She had a huge vocal range, and amazing technical skill. The Los Angeles Times writes “Houston’s voice stands like monuments 20th century pop, defining time. When she was at her best nothing could match her huge,clean, cool, mezzo-soprano.” Not only was she an amazing singer but she was also an actor,producer,and model. She was the first African-American to appear on the cover of seventeen. Not only was she extremely talented she also was selfless.

Whitney Houston gave a lot to charities. She donated to diabetes,aids,and cancer research. Houston heavily donated to The United Negro College Funds, St.Judes, American Red Cross, and New York Firefighters and Police. Whitney was honored by the National Birth Defects Center, UMDJ University Hospital, Michael Bolton Foundation, Emmanuel Cancer Foundations, and Ronald McDonald. She also formed her own charity “ Whitney Houston Foundation” for children which helped sick, homeless, and abused children. For a couple of her concerts she would let in Gulf War vets with their families. For her wedding in 1992 instead of gifts she asked for people donations to her charity. She also is a religious person.

Her mother Cissy Houston, cousin Donnie Warwick, and godmother Aretha Franklin were all legendary gospel singers. Her mother was a choir minister at the New Hope Baptist Church,that is where Whitney got her start. She slowly progressed from gospel to pop. Although she was no longer a gospel singer, she mentioned God in every interview. She gave credit for her tremendous voice by saying”God gave me a voice to sing with, and when you have that, what other gimmick is there?” Also in every interview she mentioned and praised God even when she was struggling with drug addiction.

My hero pushed the vocal boundaries farther than anyone ever dreamed of and because of her boldness and talent she became the most awarded female artist. She also did not walk in the shadows of her relatives.Not only that but she made a legacy all her own. Whitney Houston is my hero is because of her extraordinary talent, her charity work, and how she kept her faith through the hard times.