Last year, I had the opportunity to highlight three Lancers, Gretchen Murray, Grace McElroy, and Kalay Rasid, who took time out of their school day to present speeches to the Greater Derry Rotary Club members. The Rotary Speech contest asks students to answer four important questions within their speech while crafting it around a topic that affects their everyday life. Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and a better friendship? Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

On Friday, March 13th, 2026, I went before the Rotary Club and presented my speech based on integrity and truth seeking. I shared a personal experience on how I was once affected by someone sharing information about me that simply wasn't true. 

I won second place. 

I will be attending the semi-finals in the upcoming month. 

I had the opportunity to network with community members after I concluded my speech. I found that one of the Rotary Club members also studied journalism, and she spoke about how it has affected her life. Mr. Owen Provencher, Cable Division Coordinator of The Community Access Media, Derry TV, offered me an intern position on the spot, and I hope to see this developed in the upcoming months. All of this aside, I was able to use my voice and speak powerfully about a topic that has impacted me, and I hope you do the same.