I was diagnosed with moderately-severe ADD and a verbal communicating learning disability at a very young age.
School was hard for me and I was always unable to concentrate and express myself verbally. When I entered high school, I got involved with my school's FFA chapter. FFA is a youth organization designed around high school students nationwide enrolled in agricultural classes. My Ag teacher told me about the prepared public speaking
competition and suggested I try it, I told her she was crazy. I've never spoken in front of people before and when I'm nervous, I stutter and it's just a mess. But I gave it a try. Well the object was to write a speech on an Ag topic between 6-8 minutes, being timed. After 6 months of preparation, I was announced the Connecticut's number 1 public speaker. I was so excited to be able to do that and I also earned the title of one of America's top three speakers. To me, to overcome my disorder and become a nationally ranked and recognized speaker is one of the biggest achievements I've ever experienced.
Submitted by Anonymous
We've all had people in our lives who have made a positive impact on us. A parent or grandparent, a sibling who was there for us, or maybe even just a guy who shines shoes for a living? Whoever they are, tell us their story so they can inspire us even more.
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