SAIL student places third in national public speaking competition

Grade 10 SAIL student Vaishnavi Verma, pictured onstage with media personality Rick Campanelli, placed third at this year's Speaker's Idol in Toronto. The annual competition sees Grade 6-12 students from across Canada test their public speaking skills in front of an audience and a panel of judges. (Photo via Speaker's Idol)

A Grade 10 student from the Surrey Academy of Innovative Learning (SAIL) placed third in the country at this year’s Speaker’s Idol, an annual public speaking competition for Grade 6-12 students.

Vaishnavi Verma finished third in the senior category of the national competition, which is run by the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre for Holocaust Studies, an Ontario-based non-profit human rights organization. Students were asked to prepare a speech that relates a quote from Wiesenthal, an Austrian Holocaust survivor, to a human rights issue of their choice, and deliver the speech in front of an audience and a panel of judges in Toronto.

“The speech came pretty naturally because I rehearsed it a lot,” said Verma. “I was definitely very nervous up there, I just tried my hardest not to show it. And I think it worked.”

While public speaking is often cited as the most common phobia, the outgoing Verma showed no fear onstage, speaking passionately about her grandfather’s struggles with dementia and expressing a deep care for the one in six people who have a disability, referred to as “the largest minority in the world.” She used the Wiesenthal quote, “I believe in the good in people,” to share how her grandfather’s journey inspired her to fight for change and build community with differently abled students.

“In the past few years, his dementia has gotten pretty bad, and that’s been on my mind,” said Verma. “There was a personal connection for me that went into writing my speech.”

Verma’s interest in public speaking began in Grade 3 after learning of a debate challenge program at Prince Charles Elementary, but her public speaking opportunities really took off last year after joining the debate club, participating in Student Voice and competing in last year’s Speaker’s Idol, in which she placed fourth in the junior category. She also credits a lifelong interest in theatre with calming any stage fright.

SAIL teacher Liam Burdett said students get some opportunities to practise public speaking through class presentations, but he let Verma trust her own judgment as she navigated her way through the competition.

“I only gave some feedback after the semifinals – I wanted her to more or less do it on her own to that point, and then gave some edits and suggestions and it was up to her to implement it and memorize it,” he said. “It’s really up to the students to drive the bus on that.”

Looking ahead, Verma will have plenty more opportunities to participate in public speaking. She’s already anticipating standing on the Speaker’s Idol stage again, and she has other speaking aspirations, both during secondary school and after graduation.

“Next year, I’m going to the Johnston Heights International Baccalaureate program,” she said. “My brother was there and he led the Model UN club there, so I’m looking to kind of take on that role and lead it too.

“I’m not entirely sure what I want to do after graduating but I am looking into the path of becoming a lawyer. That definitely uses public speaking.”

Congratulations on all your hard work, Vaishnavi!