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Three ambitious students from Lewisville High School showcased their exceptional presentation skills as they competed in the Rotary Four-Way Test speech competition last week. The speech competition has been held for decades in hundreds of Rotary clubs across the U.S. and is offered to high school students as an optional supplement to their usual school curriculum.
Maurice Tom opened his speech with a rhetorical question: "Why are we so lonely?" Humans are social creatures, he noted, yet due to the impact of technology--from text messages and video calls to social media--meaningful connection and interaction are waning in our culture. He spoke of the benefit of authentic engagement and stepping out of one's comfort zone to develop deeper relationships with others.
Meghana Chinta recalled a horrific time when a friend who struggled with substance abuse nearly overdosed on pills. Although the friend asked Chinta to keep her actions a secret, Chinta applied the Four-Way Test to her circumstances and wisely chose to disclose the secret to her friend's parents.
Olivia Kabano likewise shared a personal story, recounting how her parents fled from genocide in their native country of Rwanda to find safety and make a better life for themselves in the United States. Despite her parents' sacrifices, however, Kabano struggled with feelings of insecurity concerning her African heritage and spent much of her youth feeling like an outsider. She eventually realized that embracing one's cultural identity not only means embracing what is true, but it is fair and beneficial to others.
John Kazor was the official timekeeper for the competition, and Rotarians Philip Herr, Becky Kerbow, Gary Lewis, and Michelle Martz judged the speeches. Each of the contestants walked away with a cash prize, and first-place contestant Meghana Chinta will advance to the regionals in April. The Lewisville Noon Rotary would like to congratulate each contestant on giving a truly outstanding presentation and wish them much success in their future endeavors!
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