WINNING A SCHOOL COMPETITION...

A win isn’t just about a prize—it’s proof that effort, passion and determination can lead to something great.

There’s a special kind of pride, a joy, that comes from sharing your thoughts to a crowd, knowing that your words make an impact and, most of all, feeling important, unless you have stage fear. That’s exactly what I felt when I won our inter-school speech competition—a moment I still cherish as it was my first one.

It all started with a notice on the bulletin board: “Speech Competition – Theme: "Finding My Voice” I was unknowingly drawn to it. I’ve know that words have power—the power to move, to inspire, to bring about change. But knowing isn’t enough, is it? I had to prove it.

So I began preparing. Began preparing days before. I spent days researching, writing, rewriting. I practiced recorded myself multiple times, asked for feedback from teachers and friends. I worked on my tone, my pauses, my expressions—every small detail mattered to me. I felt that I wanted to be perfect for this. I want to showcase my true inner skill of speaking. There were moments of doubt, moments when I wondered “Is my voice strong enough? What if I fumble?”. But, the next moment, I reminded myself “If not now, when?”

The fated day arrived. I stepped onto the stage, heart beating, forehead filled with beads of sweat from nervousness. But as I began to speak, something inside me shifted. I wasn’t just delivering a speech anymore—I was sharing a part of myself, a part that I had never known about. And when the applause came, followed by the audience’s standing ovation, I felt a wave of immense pride.

The next day, at school, I heard everybody just buzzing about me. The only words that came out of everybody’s mouth were my name and how I’d won. The teachers praised me well enough.

Winning that competition changed me, and not in a bad way. It exposed to me the truth, that preparation and passion go hand in hand. It gave me confidence—not just in my ability to converse, but also in expressing myself. It showed me that my voice matters.

In the end, winning wasn’t just about the medal. It was about growth, courage, and the realization that with effort and belief, our words became even more powerful than our true self. And that’s a message I’ll carry with me, even after the applause fades.

Thank you.