10 
I have always been a fan of challenging myself to try new things and accomplish new goals. Public speaking scared me, but when I was about fourteen and the opportunity came to present a twenty-minute speech about my story, I decided, Why not? Agreeing to speak was one thing . . . and then came the preparation. To be honest, my dad wrote the speech, but I still had to practice it and learn how to be comfortable in front of an audience. I’m an audible learner, so my dad recorded the speech for me to listen to over and over so that I could memorize the whole thing. My dad was an elder at our church, so he had a set of keys to the building. For about six weeks, twice a week, I went to our church to practice my speech. My dad would drive me over after swim practice or on my day off. We turned on all the lights in the sanctuary and I took my place at the pulpit.
We would turn the microphone on so I could learn not to be afraid of my own voice. My two younger sisters occasionally came with us and sat in the pews to listen to me speak. My dad is someone I have always admired and looked up to. He is endlessly kind, selfless with his love, and committed to his children. He is also one of the most patient people I’ve met. I didn’t want to disappoint him. We worked together on how to connect with the audience, and he taught me how to “work the crowd.” He showed me how to appear relaxed as I used the stage, pausing at certain points and flashing a charming smile at others. Even with his help, I still had the entire speech printed out word for word because I was too nervous to just speak from some note cards.
My mom helped out too. She took me shopping! I remember going out with my mom, first to lunch and then to find the perfect businesslike outfit. This was during my “rebel against my parents” phase, so I never told her how much I enjoyed these one-on-one dates of ours. I chose a black sweater with blue-and-black-plaid dress pants. I loved it! I felt just like a professional speaker.
When the day of the speech came and I finally shared my story, it was incredible to experience how much the crowd appreciated what I said. I was only fourteen, but I had been through many challenges and had experienced a lot. I knew my life was unique, but I didn’t realize how much it could inspire people.
Many individuals came up to me afterward and told me what an impact my story had had on them. I received such positive feedback that I decided I wanted to give more speeches. I have now presented countless speeches—in front of hundreds and thousands of people. One of the largest groups I spoke to was in Mexico in 2014 for the Worldwide Meeting on Human Values. More than six thousand people attended, and an additional eighty thousand viewers watched the live video stream. Asked to be the keynote speaker, I spent the entire summer working on that speech with my sister Hannah. She typed my thoughts and assembled them into a cohesive forty-five-minute presentation. I’m grateful for every opportunity to share pieces of my story and for the things I’ve learned from people along the way. I wanted my audience to realize that you always have a choice to give in or keep going. All my life I have had to make the daily decision to keep going and to avoid giving up in difficult times. I want to encourage others to do the same. God gave me a story to share, and that is what I intend to do.