When Grace Ramsey, freshman, went through the freshman handbook during her eighth grade year, speech and debate caught her eye. Intrigued by the description, she signed up for the class and, come ninth grade, started competing.

Recently, Ramsey attended a speech tournament at Coppell High School. She achieved 3rd place in Original Oratory, 5th place in Prose Interp and 7th in Humorous Interp, no small feat, considering her status as “novice!” This is not the first competition she has entered, and she’s been successful in all of them.

“I wrote my speeches, memorized them, and made sure I was confident when I performed them,” Ramsey said.

Ramsey was one of the youngest competitors in the competition but was not fazed by facing older, more experienced competitors. In fact, their age seemed like nothing more than motivation for this plucky orator.

“I feel like it is very important for a freshman to win 3rd place against seniors,” she said. “A lot of people believe they can’t be successful until they are seniors, and I feel like I have proven them wrong.”

In other competitions, Ramsey has gotten 3rd place in Impromptu, 6th place in Impromptu, and 6th place in Duet. Competitions are not a challenge to this seasoned contender. When asked what she got out of this kind of undertaking, Ramsey gave an admirable answer.

“I feel very empowered when I give my speeches,” Ramsey said. “I feel like I am saying something important and that I am communicating that to other people.”

Ramsey is very confident in her performances. She enjoys speech and plans on staying with it throughout high school.

We look forward to future success from this collegiate colt!