HCC student wins contest to sing national anthem at sold-out Astros game

Jul 9, 2018

A Houston Community College student will sing the national anthem Wednesday, July 11 before the Houston Astros game at Minute Maid Park.

Raycheal Winters was one of more than 40 students to take part in HCC’s ‘Sing for the ‘Stros’ national anthem contest and emerged the winner after her sterling rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner.

The 23-year-old Katy native has been singing since she was a little girl. But has never performed for more than about 50 people.

That will change - big time - when Winters sings in front of an expected sold-out Astros crowd of more than 40,000. “I’m very excited to sing the national anthem,” she said. “Obviously, I’m a bit nervous, but it’s a huge honor.”

Winters is currently taking courses at the HCC Spring Branch Campus with the goal of transferring to the University of Houston next spring to study Communications or Media Production. She credits HCC with helping balance her busy schedule. “My experience at HCC has given me a lot more structure in my life,” she said. “I like doing a lot of things: going to school and working. It just keeps me really busy. I’m the most productive when I’m busy. And I’ve met a lot of really cool people and had some really great teachers.”

When she’s not in the classroom or at work, Winters is in the studio recording music with her band Rae and the Bodhi Boys.

The alternative rock group has been around just a few short years but their big break could be coming very soon thanks to the lead singer’s next gig.

“The opportunity to sing for the Astros is something that’s really cool and I’m really glad it happened,” Winters said. “And I think it’s going to have a pretty big impact on my life. I hope it leads to something, but if anything, I’m just happy to be singing the national anthem at the Astros game.