So far, in my 5 months of being kid governor, I have been to many events and have given many interviews and speeches. But, being the keynote speaker at the Oregon Youth Summit is definitely an experience that I will never forget. The main focus of the summit was youth mental wellness. The Oregon youth summit is an event that brings together teenage leaders and they all discuss a topic. Their goals are for kids to learn about the government, engage with government officials, and talk about challenges that Oregon’s youth face today.
The event started at 8:30 AM. I had left my house that morning eagerly anticipating the event. I was feeling a lot of emotions that day. I was mostly excited but I was equally nervous. It was the first time I had been asked to give a 10 minute long speech and I was worried that I would fumble or mess up. Being a keynote speaker felt like a big responsibility. When we arrived, I was a little bit surprised that the Summit was taking place at the Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. As we entered the campus, I saw students strolling in and out of the gorgeous brick buildings. The campus even had a little stream with colorful koi fish swimming around. When we went inside the room where the summit was taking place, I could feel the butterflies dancing in my stomach. The room was packed with high schoolers. We were greeted by various adults who told us to sit at a table near the front of the room. Being the only 11yr old in a room packed full of high schoolers, I felt a little out of place. I could feel curious stares prickling on my back as I took my seat. As I gazed at the podium, a new fear arose in my throat. The podium was towering above me. I didn’t know how I was supposed to be seen over it. When I voiced my concern to my mom, she immediately told the person in charge. We spent the next 5 minutes hunting for something that was the right size for me to stand on. We tried chairs, stools, boxes and pretty much everything else you can possibly imagine for me to step on so the audience can see me above the podium. It was a little bit awkward going to and fro from the podium. I started to get a lot of curious stares, for I kept going on and off the podium. Finally, we decided on a chair (it was a little bit too tall). Soon after, the summit started. Some people introduced the summit and what it’s about. The next thing I knew, they were introducing me.
I walked up to the podium and began my speech. I spoke about my experiences and my platform, and about why it is so important to have good mental health. Then, before I knew it I had finished my 10 minute long speech. I walked down from the podium, I realized that it wasn’t as hard as I’d thought it would be. Once I got into the flow of speaking, the words came out naturally. I barely noticed that there were people in the room.
Soon after, we took a group picture. I had many people come and talk to me, and even though I was the smallest person in the room nobody treated me that way. I had to leave before the summit was over because I had to get to school. Before I left, I was presented with a challenge coin by Steve Campbell, Director of community services and public safety for the city of happy valley. A challenge coin is a coin that is presented to someone who has done a service to the community. I was so proud to receive the challenge coin. My challenge coin was given to me by the city of Happy Valley. Alas, I now had to get to school. As I got into the car, I thought about how fortunate I had been to get to be one of the keynote speakers at the summit and how great of an opportunity it had been. It was so amazing to see so many people who believed in my cause and who believed that we could make a change.
When I finally got to school, I couldn’t stop thinking about the youth summit and what an amazing experience it was. I had so much fun being there and speaking about my cause.
