Joining Toastmasters

I joined the Brentwood Evening Toastmasters Club in May 2024. Toastmasters is

an organization that teaches people how to overcome their fear of public speakers, craft a speech and listen with intent.

I became a member of Toastmasters to boost my confidence and enhance my communication skills. For the initial speech, each participant is required to present an Icebreaker to introduce themselves to the club. This was my Icebreaker:

"After I graduated high school, I thought I was going to go to community college. This is because I was scared of being away from home. That changed when I toured the University of Tennessee in March 2018 of my senior year. I had been on the campus for football games before, but I never thought I would go there as a student. The campus seemed too big and it had a reputation as a party school. The students were on spring break that week, so the campus was bare. As I saw all that the school had offer, I knew I wanted to call Rocky Top home. After the visit, I thought it would be too late to apply. Fortunately, my mom found out otherwise. I submitted all the paperwork and found out I was accepted within two days. You could say that was a sign.

I was excited when went back for orientation in June 2018. However, I was understandably nervous though when it was go-time in August. I thought it would be okay when I got in the car the morning of move-in day, but I broke down when I saw my dog staring out the large bonus room window. When my parents left me in Knoxville that day, my dad thought I was going to die. I lived in one of older women’s dormitories on campus. The room itself wasn’t bad, but I had a horrible roommate. Her boyfriend who wasn’t a student came from out of town almost every week to be with her and stay in our shoebox of a room. She also turned the other girls in the suite against me. Luckily, I was able to talk to the housing department and get moved to a different room in the same building. The horrible roommates left to go on a trip and I was gone when they got back.  My second roommate told me college wasn’t for her and ended up dropping out at the end of the semester. I had a room to myself for the rest of freshman year, and I loved it!

For the rest of my college career, I ended up living in a luxury student apartment complex called the TENN on a popular street near campus. I miss living in room 307 and would move back there in a heartbeat if I could. As for roommates, I got put with great groups of girls. One of them liked to party which made for some lively weekends.

Other notable aspects of my college career include joining Sigma Phi Lambda, a standalone Christian sorority. I joined during the spring of my sophomore year and became the chapter’s Secretary during my senior year. Getting up and speaking in front of the chapter was nerve-wracking at first, but I become more confident with each meeting. I also had a lot of support from my officer team. We didn’t really know each other at first, but we got close when we went to Texas for Officer Training the summer before our terms started.

During my senior year, I also got a job on campus in the office of the dorm I lived in freshman year. My older brother who went to UTK before me said: “the best thing you can do is get a job on campus.” This is because they are low maintenance and flexible with your schedule. I graduated in the spring of 2022 with a degree in English and a minor in communications. My dad put his arm around me after the graduation ceremony and said “I’m glad you’re still here.” I am currently a freelance writer and have recently acquired my medical coding certification. As I look for a full-time job and plan for the future, I will forever cherish my memories as a Vol."