Woodridge nursing student to sing at Cubs game

Bianca Giraldo will fulfill a lifelong dream when she takes the microphone Tuesday at Wrigley Field after the Chicago Cubs’ ceremonial first pitch.

“Singing at a ballgame was definitely something I wanted on my bucket list, something I wanted to personally accomplish,” the Woodridge woman said.

Giraldo was chosen to sing the national anthem as part of “Nurses Night at the Ballpark,” an event hosted by Chamberlain College of Nursing and Nursing Spectrum magazine. Giraldo is preparing to graduate from Chamberlain’s Addison campus this spring and the lifelong Cubs fan won a contest among fellow students for the honor of singing.

This isn’t the first time Giraldo’s voice has earned her praise. In 2004, she won NBC 5 Chicago’s “Give Me the Mic” singing competition, winning a recording contract with a local producer and a piano.

Giraldo never fulfilled the contract though, and said she realized she never really wanted to sing professionally.

“(Professional gigs) kind of took the fun away from it, because I was kind of forced to sing if I was sick or not up to it, and it became a job,” Giraldo said. “Now I only sing at church or in the shower.”

Instead, Giraldo realized nursing was her true passion after caring for her elderly grandmother, as well as her mother-in-law who has rheumatoid arthritis. After graduation, she plans to work as an intensive care or cardiac care unit nurse.

But this week, Giraldo is spending some extra time perfecting her pitch to make sure she does justice to “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

“It’s a powerful song and a meaningful song that represents our country, especially with the times and what’s in the news these days,” Giraldo said. “Making sure you get it just right is crucial. There’s a lot of pressure.”

Many fans in the bleachers will be Giraldo’s own classmates, family and friends. One of them will be Huntley resident and registered nurse Karen Filpi, who also earned an honor of her own: she’ll throw out the first pitch.