I remember being super nervous last year when it came to doing speeches. "What should I say?" "How should my visual look like?" "What if I don't finish my speech in time?" All these thoughts were running through my mind when I was a junior giving my first speech in ISM but I definitely came a long way. Throughout my first year of ISM, I grew more mature when it came to giving speeches and also started to enjoy doing public speaking. After ISM was over, I decided I wanted to continue doing public speaking, as a way to inspire others. That is why I decided to give a talk at UTD in the summer about the importance of women being in STEM. Speaking to the young girls made me realize the power of public speaking. Speeches send out important messages that could change the way an individual lives and sees themselves. With that said, this year in ISM 2, I returned to the podium to give my research speech. Last year, I prepared an elaborate outline and practiced what I would say over and over again. To be honest, I felt that I memorized that speech. As a result, I felt restrained while I was giving my speech. I didn’t feel all that free and was constantly worried that I was going to forget what I would say. This year, I knew that things were going to be different. I made an outline and did practice but I gave myself room to do a little improv. On the day of the speech, I had so much fun speaking. I was more free and relaxed. I enjoyed sharing my experiences with the rest of my class. This is when I learned that planning every small detail could take the fun away from your life. Live on the edge because that is when you will have the adventure of your lifetime.
