The Voice In an English class we were asked to do a research project on an influential American citizen who changed American culture in some way. It was difficult to figure out who I would write my article about, because there are so many different people who have contributed in some way to American culture. Then I thought about the great pop stars who did something important in their lives, and I thought about the unforgettable Whitney Houston. Ultimately, I decided to do my own project on her to learn about Whitney's life, what she did, and why she is influential in American culture. Whitney was born on August 9, 1963 in New Jersey. He comes from an Afro family; her parents were Cissy Houston and John Russell Houston, and Aretha Flanking was her godmother (Hampton 1). He began singing "in his family's church choir" (Wenner 1). Whitney performed "at her mother's nightclub" (Wenner 1). The star attended a Catholic high school and while there “signed with a modeling agency and posed for magazines including Glamor and Vogue” (Wenner 1). Houston was released in 1985 and was a huge hit. From there came new singles, duets with great artists and even the theme song of the 1988 Summer Olympics. She began her acting career in the film The Bodyguard, which was a great success. In 1992 she married Bobby Brown and in 1993 she had her first daughter, Bobbi Kristina. (Wenner 1). Houston's career continued to grow, he won an Oscar singing a duet with Mariah Carey. “Houston moved to the small screen in 1997, producing and playing the Fairy Godmother to Brandy's Cinderella in Disney's remake of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Wonderful World of Disney,” says Jann S. Wenner. Now she had a famous model… at the center of the card… numbers like Beyoncé and Hudson, who are able to successfully transition from music to film in the same way Houston did, owe a debt to Whitney. “Historically it is quite rare for someone who is successful in one field to be accepted by critics and audiences in another,” said Neil Portnow, CEO/President of the Recording Academy. Whitney proved that “America is the land of opportunity” (Kaufman 1). “You can do anything you put your heart and mind into,” Portnow said of Houston's legacy. (Kaufman 1). In short, this article was based on the life of Whitney Houston, what she did, and why she was so influential on American culture. Whitney was a huge pop star who was very talented and won numerous awards throughout her career. He is an example for many stars and has shown that this is truly the land of opportunities and that you can achieve your goals if you put your effort into it. heart in it.