Finding My Voice at Pecha Kucha
- Krupa Shah
- Oct 31, 2018
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 8
A few summers ago, I found myself standing under the bright stage lights at the Vic Juba Community Theatre, looking out at more than 200 faces from the Lloydminster community and Lakeland College. My hands were clammy, my heart was pounding, and I was just beginning to dabble in public speaking.
I had recently joined *Synergy Speakers Corner* at Lakeland and attended a couple of trial sessions with Toastmasters. Public speaking still felt new — equal parts thrilling and terrifying. But I had been quietly inspired for a while. Our department head, Ben Acquaye, had this natural, commanding presence when he spoke, and I often caught myself thinking, *I wish I could do that.*
That summer, I was volunteering as an usher at Pecha Kucha 2.5. I watched high school students — barely older than teenagers — deliver speeches that were passionate, funny, and deeply moving. Their courage sparked something in me. *If they could do it, maybe I could too.*
When it came time to choose my own topic, the theme was *craft.* At first, my mind wandered through pottery, painting, woodworking — but then a poem I had heard years ago surfaced in my memory: **“Harmony of Two Sculptors.”** It spoke of parents and community — two sculptors — shaping the mind and spirit of a child.
It felt right.
It felt personal.
As I wrote my talk, I thought of my parents back home, my mentors, my instructors at Lakeland — all the people who had shaped me in ways big and small. I was feeling both grateful and a little homesick. Those emotions wove themselves into my speech, giving it a sincerity I couldn’t have planned.
That night, standing on that stage, I realized public speaking wasn’t just about performing for an audience. It was about sharing a piece of yourself, trusting that your story might resonate with someone else. And in that moment — with my voice shaking, my slides clicking by, and my heart wide open — I felt a quiet kind of connection that has stayed with me ever since.
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