Pround Of Who I Am

Who doesn't dislike speaking in public? I sure know that I do. I hate the feeling of knowing that I have to face an audience full of eyes that will be staring just at me and judging me in every way, either positive or negative, and let me not even get started with the feelings I get before I even begin to speak! The gigantic knot that twists up in my stomach, the stuttering words that are rapidly released from my tongue, the sweat that rushed down my face like a waterfall, and the fear that no one will pay attention, or take me serious because of my physical appearance and age. Thankfully I have no more worries about public speaking, because this was the lesson that we received from Professor Jenn Madden.

Ms. Jenn Madden

Jenn Madden is a professor at Brown University who majored in public speaking. Today we had the privileged of having her give us a lesson on how to speak in public. At first  she made us brainstorm all the qualities that great public speakers have and then she emphasized on each one giving us tips on how to do or say something properly.

Some of the things that we brainstorm that are great qualities of public speakers were that they have eye contact with the public, speak in terms of "we" instead of "I", have great charisma, take pauses as  they switch from one point to the other, include hand gestures that don't intimidate or make the audience feel threatened, body language and posture that show confidence, and so much more. After giving us such a great lesson she told us that we were going to put in practice everything we had learned by giving a small speech about a certain topic. I was really nervous about this, but felt confident enough to be able to do it. The beginning of my speech wasn't so great, but the end really hit the spot. Not only did I receive positive feedback from my classmates, but also from Ms. Madden. This made me feel so proud and confident about my self.

Later in the day we all went to do our community hours. During the beginning of the session I felt very tired and was falling asleep, because I wasn't very much focused, but as the activities that we did got deeper into certain subjects that related to my personal life I soon became wide awake and very focused. We did an activity where we were all asked certain questions about ourselves and if they applied to us we would step into the middle of the circle that we had formed. This activity made me reflect so much on my life and how thankful I am to God for helping me get to where I am. It also made me reflect more about how much my parents have sacrificed for me just so I could have the life they never did.

Many people might be ashamed or embarrassed of who they are or what kind of family they come from, but I don't have the same mindset. I am actually very proud of my Mexican blood, culture, belief, and especially my family. I have learned to value what I have, because there are thousands of people in the world that wished they had my life. I thank God for giving me a family that helps and supports me in every way possible :).