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Sheridan student a semifinalist as Voice of McDonald's by Abigail Cukier Special to the Beaver 15 | Friday, June 20, 2014 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Vanessa Sears went from casually mentioning to her manager at the Iroquois Shore Road McDonald's that she was an entertainer at Canada's Wonderland to becoming the only Canadian semi-finalist in the global Voice of McDonald's Restaurants' singing competition. "I entered and didn't think anything would happen," said the 21-year-old musical theatre student at Sheridan College. For the first round, more than 58,000 singers entered competitions in 63 countries. Sears submitted a video of herself singing Lean on Me. "It was a ridiculous video of me dancing in McDonald's and eating a hamburger. But I guess they liked it," Sears said. For the next round, she posted a video at voiceofmcdonalds.com of her singing This Will Be by Natalie Cole. After members of the public voted and a panel judged the entries, Sears found out she was in the top five for Canada. After winning the Canadian finals, Sears travelled to Orlando, Fla. in late April as one of 16 semifinalists from around the world. "It was pretty overwhelming. We got to work with vocal coaches and meet super talented singers from all over the world," Sears said. The semifinalists received coaching, wardrobe and makeup consultations, photo shoots tition. It was a total blessing," she said. And on stage at the competition, she said, "This wasn't the first time McDonald's changed my life." As a child growing up in Deep River, Ont., Sears contracted flesh-eating disease. She had to stay two hours away at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa for two months. While she was there, her parents stayed at the Ronald McDonald House to keep the family together. As a young girl, Sears, who is going into her fourth year at Sheridan, planned on being a veterinarian. "I always did community theatre. I thought it was a hobby, but then my eyes were opened to the idea that it could be a career. I could actually do what I love," she said. Sears dreams of performing on Broadway and hopes to make it onto a production's touring cast. She has wrapped performances at Sheridan College and will perform at Young Company in Charlottetown, P .E.I this summer. To check out the video, visit www. voiceofmcdonalds.com/voting/vanessa_sears. YOUR 2014 XC90 Vanessa Sears and on-stage sessions with a band and backup singers. The competition featured celebrity judge and musician Chris Daughtry and was hosted by comedian/actor Wayne Brady. As a semifinalist, Sears also performed in front of 15,000 people and won $5,000. "I also got some other gigs from the compe- Pre-K to Grade 12 Reading Writing Math Study Skills French SAT/ACT Prep Oxford Learning is... A Smarter Full Day Summer Camps available at Oakville North location. Final 2014 Sell Down Event $ Summer Whether your child needs to catch up or get ahead this summer, Oxford Learning can help! OFFER ENDS JUNE 30TH 9,500 *CASH BONUS DESIGNED AROUND YOU. MADE FOR FAMILY ADVENTURE All Ages. All Grades. All Subjects. Enrol Today! oxfordlearning.com VOLVO OF OAKVILLE 770 Pacific Road, Oakville 1-888-310-7438 www.volvoofoakville.com *Limited time offers through Volvo Oakville to qualified retail customers only. $9,500 cash purchase incentive available on any new 2014 XC90 and will be deducted from the negotiated selling price of the vehicle before taxes. Cash purchase incentive cannot be combined with lease, finance or other offers. Volvo Oakville may sell for less. Dealer trade may be necessary. Warranty does not cover, without limitation: damage to vehicle resulting from improper maintenance or abuse, vehicles severely damaged and/or declared to be a total loss by insurer, severe operating conditions requiring additional services and customer requested services not specified in Volvo Warranty and Maintenance Records Information booklet. See Volvo Oakville or visit www.volvoofoakville.com for more details. Excluding fleet vehicles. While quantities last. Offers valid only for Ontario residents at Oakville Volvo. Offer ends June 30th, 2014 and is subject to change without notice. Some terms/conditions apply. Offers may vary by region. See Volvo Oakville for full details. Vehicles may not be exactly as shown. ©2014 Volvo Cars of Canada Corp. Always remember to wear your seat belt. Visit www.volvoofoakville.com Oakville South Oakville North Oakville North East 905.849.4027 905.469.1929 905.616.9444