What is something that is essential to understanding you? [250 Words]
“She’s a smart girl, but shouldn’t raise her hand so much. She has an opinion about nearly everything.” These two sentences from my second grade report card describe me best: an outspoken girl, never shy about sharing her thoughts and beliefs. But as time passed, the number of times that I was told to “shut up”, often in nicer terms, increased exponentially. As a result, I became more insecure and fearful about my voice.
As I entered a much larger and more diverse high school, I was initially apprehensive that I, “the girl who was always talking,” might not have a voice at all. This feeling soon disappeared, though, as I found myself welcomed into a community that taught me to use my voice for the better.
The Speech and Debate team became an outlet through which I could express my beliefs without reprimand. There I learned that my voice could be more than just background noise; that the things I said, and how I said them, could actually matter.
Through debate, I quickly blossomed into a feisty word-wrangler, utilizing the art of persuasion on topics ranging from child marriage to nuclear proliferation. Through oratorical speech, I was no longer limited to speaking about my own ideas and experiences, but could showcase the lives of others, from disabled comedians fighting for equality to empowered survivors pleading for justice. Competing in Speech and Debate taught me to hone my voice; and now, it’s something I’ll never “shut up”.