With Optimism, Tatum Advances in Public Speaking Competition

By Tatum Perry '32 with Cathy Cena (Managing Partner of FDT)

On February 19, I performed a speech on "How optimism has guided me through trying times." The competition was hosted by Optimist International to promote optimism and public speaking in children. The topic I chose to share was about when my dog died and how I used optimism to push through it to get over my sadness. I realized that being happy is the consequence of personal effort and that each and every one of us needs to fight and strive for it every single day.

I faced opponents who were ages 10 to 18 and because this was my very first time, I was up against a lot of very experienced speakers. After coming in 1st place, I advanced to the next round where, against the odds, I was very pleased to come in 2nd. I will now advance to the district competition in April, which is being hosted in Washington. 

 

I do really enjoy public speaking, this being my 2nd year. Even if you don’t take lessons, I would recommend trying to get good at it because it is an important skill to have. It has taught me how to be a confident leader and a storyteller.