My entire life, I have always feared presenting in front of others. I hated the thought of everyone focusing their attention on you, messing up, the paranoid thought that everyone would be laughing at you. I had always wanted to be the last to present. So, when my mom wanted me to join the Speech Team in 6th grade, I felt apprehensive and very nervous. It reminded me of all of my fears of presenting in front of others.

In Speech Team, you pick a category and prepare however needed, and then compete against others from around the state. I tried the impromptu category, and it was really hard because, as a 6th grader, I had to write a speech in eight minutes, not really knowing what I was doing. Also having random topics that I don't know anything about. Then I switched to Extemporaneous, and it was easier because it was answering a specific question, and then you got an article to get text evidence for supporting material. I continued in Extemp for the rest of my 6th-grade year. In 7th grade, I joined the Radio broadcasting category. That is when I really started to get more confident with presenting. I am so glad that I joined Speech Team!

This is my third year on Speech Team, and I love it so much. When I started in sixth grade, I didn't know what to expect, but I thought it was an opportunity to try something new. I have learned things to help improve a speech, such as body movement, eye contact, body language, and tone of voice. I tried a couple of categories before I found my love for radio.

Ms. Chudzynski has really helped me feel comfortable speaking in front of others by helping me find a category that I feel the most confident doing. Being a member of the Speech Team has been a positive experience for me. It has made me feel like I belong. These experiences will not only help me in competitions but also in life.

I am now the Vice President of the Speech Team. I feel like I have developed more responsibility and better time management skills. Being Vice President has made me feel like I need to be on top of things; therefore, my time management skills have increased. Ms. C has been amazing at pushing me out of my comfort zone and pushing me to be my best self.

As a Speech Team officer, you are responsible for being a role model and mentor to the other Speech Team members. I feel like I could help the new members by making them feel comfortable and confident. I could do this by helping them with their speeches, giving them constructive feedback, and making it a positive experience.

On my first day on the Speech Team, I never expected to become as open and comfortable presenting in front of others as I am now. Now when I am presenting in class, I feel so confident and even offer to go first. I am so fortunate to have been given this opportunity. I am sure that the skills I have learned and developed from the Speech Team will serve me well in the future.