From Missed Deadline to WATS Winner

By: Logan Wilson

A fellow associate encouraged Sandi Joy Chadwick to enter the 2013 Walmart Associate
Talent Search, but she declined.
In fact, she went away the weekend after her boss told her to give it a shot and by the time she
went back to work, the deadline to participate in WATS had passed. Or so she thought.
I went onto the WIRE that morning and saw that the deadline had been extended, Sandi said.
So then it was like a V8 moment, slapped in the forehead. I thought to myself youre a Walmart
employee and not everyone is going to get this opportunity, so why not take advantage of it?
So Sandi took advantage and was named the 2013 WATS winner in the United States. She said
she never expected to accomplish that feat, especially during the three hours she spent trying to
post her video to YouTube.
Oh my goodness, as a 49-year-old woman with technology, I didnt know what I was doing. But that was the worst part,
Sandi said. It was a wild ride and I didnt expect to make the final round let alone win.
Sandis talent is standup comedy, something she started doing just seven years ago. When she is not in front of a
microphone, she works as an optician in store #2167 in Exton, Penn. She has actually been working as an optician at
Walmart longer (nine years) than she has been telling jokes to crowds.
I think people think oh, Im too old to do that, or Im too old to remake myself, but I only started doing standup comedy
about seven years ago and now its blooming, Sandi said. I even get paid to go out and do standup comedy. So its
never too late to reinvent yourself.
Sandis main focus used to be singing, but she lost her voice on two different occasions because of vocal nodes. That and
a push from an associate pastor at church led to her giving standup comedy a try.
I told her I was just funny in the moment, I react to people. And she said what if you wrote those moments down and
reenacted them on a stage? Im pretty sure thats what standup comedy is. So I started at my church with womens
groups and then I decided to try it in the real world and went to an open mic night and I didnt die when I was on stage
going through my material. After I did that, I got some gigs.
Perhaps her biggest gig was performing during Shareholders week last year. She joined the winners of the other three
world regions in Northwest Arkansas to perform their talents, marking one of her favorite aspects of the talent search.
I am really interested in learning about different cultures and the diversity of people, so even meeting other winners was a
real thrill for me, Sandi said. Meeting the winners from Brazil and the winner from South Africa and the winners from
China, it just gives you a lot more of the sense that Walmart is a global company. I really loved that.
Five pharmacy associates from Brazil, Mariana Monteiro Da Silva Stimamiglio, Lilian Cristina Ferreira Alexandre, Maria
Regina Zamignan, Ana Carolina Barichello Busato and Daniele Celine Silva Pereira, won the Latin American Region.
Jason Duloo, from South Africa, was named the winner of the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Region and Qin
Lao, Cloud Jiang, Joy Zhang and Nick Xiong, a band from China, were victorious in the Asia Region.
The girls from Brazil did an original song and it was cute, Sandi said. It showcased some of the things they did in the
pharmacy. Im not sure of the words, because I dont speak Portuguese, but it was cool. Then Jason, from South Africa,
he was a multi-talented musician. He was an original songwriter and singer and musician. He was great. The group from
China was a band too, but they also did some traditional Chinese dancing.
This year, six winners will perform during Shareholders week. Each act can have up to five participants and the video
submission should be no longer than two minutes. Although three of the four regions winners were musical acts last year,
dancers, magicians, comedians like Sandi and other talented associates are encouraged to take part in this years search.
I would love to see dancers win it, Sandi said. I dont know if everyone is ready for spoken word yet, but who knows?
Maybe that will win. I would just love to see people try and we could see what else is out there. Even if it is something
crazy like juggling flaming chainsaws. Who knows? I dont know what all is out there.
You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Theres a saying that is do not despise the day of small beginnings and
thats something that I have heard for years at church. I heard that voice echo in my head and I thought all right, put it out
there and you never know what is going to happen. But if you dont do anything, nothing will happen. So at least go for it.
To enter WATS, submit your video at WalmartTalentSearch.com between Feb. 4 and Feb. 28.