RIDING INTO NEW ADVENTURES TAYLOR CASETTA FACING YOUR FEARS GRACE SIRENKO

Grace remembers the day of her junior year English teacher told her class that they will give an activism speech. She felt her heart sink into her stomach, and her palms started to sweat. Grace had always been afraid of public speaking, and the thought of standing up in front of her classmates made her feel sick. Despite the fears Grace said, “but since the activism speech was really important to me, I wanted to do my best. Not only that but I had an amazing teacher, Ms. Kramer, who really inspired me to be more confident and passionate.” Ms. Kramer gave Grace a lot of good tips and advice that helped settle the anxiety Grace had felt about speaking in front of the class.

On the day of the speech Grace said, “I volunteered to go first, I took a deep breath, smiled, and suddenly I felt a confidence I never had before.” Grace will never forget how this moment made her feel, and although she still struggles with confidence, she now knows that she can do great in anything.